


Three

by LezG33k



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, SuperCorp
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-12
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-07-29 18:08:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 56,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16269575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LezG33k/pseuds/LezG33k
Summary: A re-telling of Season Three that will veer right off the path and ret-con a lot of Season Two. After beating herself up over her part in the Daxamite invasion, Lena Luthor makes it her prime objective to not only re-build National City but make it a safer place for all of her citizens. Meanwhile, Kara Danvers is trying to adjust to life without Cat Grant at CatCo and nurse her pain over losing her FRIENDTHEIRJUSTFRIENDSTHEY'RENEVERGONNABEMORETHANFRIENDSFRIEND, Mon-El, due to her decision to allow Lena to release the lead into the air and save Earth from the Daxamites. Lots of angst, lots of longing, lots of Supercorp.





	1. So Much More than Somethin'

**Author's Note:**

> So, I shouldn't be writing this fic. I should be finishing my novel or, at the very least, finishing one of the many other fanfics I've yet to finish here. Someday. But I decided to be a masochist and start Season 3 of Supergirl despite my revulsion at the idea that I already know Lames is going to be a thing and Lena looks like she belongs with every woman she so much as breathes next to. But I was feeling pretty down last weekend when we put another sexual predator on the Supreme Court and, what can I say, Sunny Danvers always makes me feel better about the state of the world. 
> 
> And damn, gays! The SuperCorp feels are on point, at least in the beginning, of this season. Lena is so gay thirsty for Kara it's not even like she's trying to hide it! Buying CatCo for her! Following her around the office like a lost puppy! Constantly asking where she is! ASKING PERMISSION TO HUG HER? It was like gay on rainbows on flannel on a pride float! Anyway, after watching it I got a muse that would absolutely not go away no matter how much SuperCorp fanfic I put into my eyeballs so, here we are. I hope you enjoy it because it won't let me work or sleep.

“Guilt is not a good business strategy,” Lena spat Morgan Edge’s words out of her mouth as soon as she stabbed the lobby button on the elevator; James Olsen in tow. “As if that miscreant has ever felt an emotion as selfless as guilt in his entire life.”

 

“Tell me about it,” James’ deep and troubled words echoed his dissent as he loosened his tie. “And I thought Maxwell Lord was opportunistic. Edge makes him look like a choir boy by comparison. You know his words fell on deaf ears, right? No one in that room thinks you’re to blame for what happened with the Daxamites.”

 

“No, Mr. Olsen, no one in that room believed I wasn’t responsible for what happened with the Daxamites,” Lena argued while checking the messages on her phone. “Least of all me. But I don’t need to be reminded by a man who would ride the coattails of my tragedy right into a cheap opportunity for himself.”

 

“Ms. Luthor,” he said, keeping to the formality she’d set. “You didn’t invite the Daxamite attack, you were manipulated into opening the door. And then you saved us all.”

 

“Supergirl saved us all,” Lena said, sauntering out of the elevator without so much as a look at him as she made her exit. “While I appreciate an ally in that boardroom I do not appreciate being placated outside of it. Thank you for your support against Edge and enjoy the rest of your day, Mr. Olsen.”

 

A lack of heavy footsteps behind her indicated that James had been left standing in the wake of her sharp tone and she wouldn’t have it any other way. He was a big boy. He shouldn’t have any problem massaging the whiplash of her remarks. And Lena had bigger fish to fry. She needed to ensure the Supergirl statue would be ready for the unveiling and she had barely reached the summit on the mountain of work she had to catch up on from dealing with the fallout of the Daxamite invasion. Plus she’d apparently worked her way so far deep into Kara Danvers inner circle (no pun intended, sadly) that she’d been invited to her sister’s food tasting for her wedding. If it had been anyone else she would have canceled. But this was an important event in Alex’s life, which meant Kara would be there and if Kara would be there…

 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

“Lena said she’d be there?” Kara asked, bright, Sunny Danvers smile on her face. “What made you decide to invite her?”

 

They’d just returned from a grueling mission out in the field and Alex had pulled her aside after the debrief for a little Danvers Sisters girl talk.

 

“Well, that 100-watt smile you’ve got going on there might have something to do with it,” Alex said, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes in faux annoyance at Kara’s exuberance. “You’ve been down about Cat and Mon-El leaving for too long. And, even though I question your choice to make a born and bred arch nemesis your BFF, Lena really has done everything she can to break that mold. I thought that maybe bringing Lena along to watch you stuff your face with free food would help you out of your funk.”

 

“This is literally your marital food spread and you’re letting Lena help decide it just to cheer me up?” Kara said, endearment practically beaming from her eyes like her heat vision.

 

“Best sister ever,” Alex pointed two thumbs toward herself as she walked away.

 

“Definitely best sister ever.”

 

____________________________________________________________________________

  
  


While working on the finer details of her newest development plan for the rebuilding project, a notification popping up on her phone stole Lena’s attention away from the task at hand. It was a news alert.

 

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me,” she nearly growled as she scanned over the article detailing Edge’s move on the purchase of CatCo Worldwide. “How is this even possible? Cat Grant should be asking for his head served up to her on a golden platter in her expensive D.C. condo by now. What a mess.”

 

And it certainly was a mess. One she’d helped create. 

 

_ This is what happens, Lena. This is what happens when you starve yourself from affection and human interaction so much that you can’t help tripping over your own feet at the very prospect of pleasing someone you hardly know just because they take an interest in you. _

 

It was another reason she’d accepted Alex Danvers’ invite for her little gathering that evening. Lena needed more friends. So much so that perhaps even the fate of the world depended on it.

 

With a shake of her head, she took to her laptop and sent out a few emails to some of the brightest minds she knew in National City. She wondered if there was a way to somehow block Edge from moving on CatCo. She decided to go to the video news feed from earlier in the day to see the bastard make the announcement on her iPad just before the main reason she cared about the future of CatCo walked right into her office.

 

“Hey,” she drawled out the greeting, disappointment at the reason for the visit evident in her tone. “I hate that sentient bottle of cheap cologne. Did you know?”

 

“No,” Kara answered, forlorn before taking the seat across from Lena and explaining how James thought it was his fault for pressing Edge in the meeting that morning.

 

Of course Olsen would somehow try to make this about himself, baiting Kara for a shoulder to cry on. He was obviously still in love with her for which, well, Lena couldn’t exactly blame him.

 

“You don’t spend that kind of money on a grudge,” she said, moving on to the meat of the information Kara might have to offer. “Do you think the shareholders will listen to Cat?”

 

She tried to focus on Kara’s explanation about Cat Grant putting her shares in a blind trust due to her new position as Press Secretary but some of the details got a bit lost in the way the cinnamon colored belt complimented the way the navy dress flattered Kara’s form. She seemed more feminine those days. A slight contrast to the pants and button downs she’d been keen on wearing back when her friend Mon-El was around. The CEO wondered if there was a reason for that but then she decided it didn’t much matter because Kara could wear a burlap sack and still somehow come off just as precious as she would in a Gucci gown. There was a softness to her that could muffle any edge and still manage to take a person’s breath away.

 

Or… at least take Lena’s breath away.

 

She moved to the bureau to the side of the room to at least distract her eyes from Kara’s presence, while pouring a glass of water for them both, only to be reminded of how very deep their friendship went when Kara noted that Lena had invested in Edge’s portfolio. That perhaps she might have sway.

 

How had they gotten that close?

 

How was it Kara knew about her stock investments when most people on the planet didn’t even know her favorite book or song?

 

It took her a second to recall but; trust. It had all been about trust. One evening, long after she should have been home and eating dinner, Kara came by with Chinese takeout and donuts. 

 

_ “I saw you up here burning the midnight oil,” Kara said as she placed the food on Lena’s desk, a clear sign that there would be no arguing about the sharing of the meal. “Your light is pretty much the only one on in the entire building. You want to tell me what you’re working on now or do I need to use the donuts as leverage to get you to talk?” _

 

She’d been joking, of course. Knowing Lena would do just about anything she asked when given nothing more than the request. They’d sat there, side by side, the entire night, chopsticks in hand, as Lena showed Kara all of her plans to rebuild the city. The architects she was hiring, the charities she would be donating to, and the companies in which she was investing. Including Morgan Edge’s.

 

_ “Lena, the weight of this tragedy does not belong on your shoulders,” Kara said in that way only Kara can speak. With that small, nearly imperceptible shudder in her voice that could convince God to have a dance with the Devil. “You did not bring the Daxamites here and you did everything in your power to fight them off.” _

 

_ “No, Kara,” she said sternly, locking onto the reporter’s gaze. “What I did was let my desperate yearning for my mother’s approval lead me to make a catastrophic lapse in judgment that led to the near decimation of the human and alien races of this planet. And then I cleaned up my mess by creating a solution that sent someone you love away forever, causing you great pain. People died, people mourned, people broke and I broke them. I won’t sit idly by accepting excuses for my actions. And, if I can’t fix hearts, I’ll fix buildings.” _

 

_ Green eyes lingered on blue for a few seconds into the pregnant pause that ushered its way between them before darting to the computer screen totaling millions of dollars in Luthor money spent. Kara allowed the silence to settle over them for a moment before banishing it with not only words but her touch. _

 

_ “There were a lot worse people I could have lost,” she said as her hand reached for Lena’s. “And I believe I know something about yearning for maternal love at any cost. I spent the last few years of my life being demeaned, ordered around and called the wrong name by my old boss just for the few precious moments where she might pat me on the head and call me a good girl, before asking for another tumbler of scotch. Now, obviously Cat has shown that she does genuinely care about me and she never tried to destroy the world… Well, at least not the Democrats in it, but there is no way I could have always known that she was fighting for the right side. Just like you couldn’t tell Rhea wasn’t. It’s not wrong to want love, Lena. What’s wrong is using someone’s love for a darker purpose. The Daxamites did this to National City, not you.” _

 

_ Lena looked down to their clasped hands first. Noting that the glance didn’t cause Kara to pull away. Then she looked back up into Kara’s eyes and sighed. _

 

_ “Kara, sometimes I think you could tell me the moon is made of cheese and I’d not only believe you, I’d try to commission a trip for two up there just so I might watch you taste space brie,” she said with a soft, sad smile. “But not this time. I know full well the moon is cold, desolate and made of rocks. Just like I know this is my burden to bear. Let me bear it with dignity and be my friend by supporting me in rebuilding the city.” _

 

_ Kara’s famous crinkle appeared on her forehead but dissipated as she swallowed down Lena’s bitter pill and squeezed her hand in agreement.  _

 

_ “I will if you’ll let me have the exclusives on your new projects.” _

 

_ Kara asked. Lena gave. Kara smiled. _

 

And now Kara was asking her to talk Morgan Edge out of doing something he obviously wanted to do. 

 

“Edge doesn’t respect any opinions that aren’t his own, especially a woman’s,” she said, setting her water down on the desk.

 

“Lena,” Kara said, looking at her with that adorable head tilt. “You helped Supergirl save the world. How bad could one stubborn sexist be?”

 

“Alright,” she acquiesced with a smile, like they both knew she would. “I’ll see what I can do.”

 

“Great!” Kara said, returning the smile as she stood. “So, I’ll see you tonight? At Alex’s thing?”

 

“You will,” Lena confirmed with a nod as she crossed her arms and leaned against her desk. “It would seem I’ve finally grown on that die-hard Super-fan-girl sister of yours. Perhaps she finally figured out we play for the same team despite my last name.”

 

It was an innocent tip of the hand. One that would likely go right over Kara’s head.

 

“She’s just  _ Super _ protective.”

 

It did.

 

“You know how si...special agents can be,” she continued.

 

Kara’s stutter wasn’t lost on Lena but she hadn’t the faintest clue what triggered it within her from time to time. She’d tried to pinpoint any consistencies with it but usually chalked it all up to being tongue-tied.

 

“I suppose I’ll learn if I keep getting invites to her events,” Lena replied, ending the conversation so that she might get a little more work done before taking on the mammoth task of trying to talk Edge into easing up on his newest obsession. “Goodbye, Kara.”

 

She thought she noticed, as she turned to walk back around her desk, that Kara hadn’t made any move to leave. Her suspicions were confirmed as she sat and saw the reporter still standing before her, purse in hand.

 

“Lena, I know that the last few weeks have been hard for you. That you’ve been busy with taking care of the whole city and all,” she said, nervously adjusting her glasses and taking a diligent interest in Lena’s office floor. “But, I… well, I just wanted to say that I’ve missed you. I know it’s selfish to put that out there when you’ve been doing all of these wonderful things for the city and I’d never ask you to take time away from that just to spend it with me but, I’m not going to lie, when Alex told me you’d accepted her invitation for tonight I felt happier than I’ve felt in a quite a while. You… you may look out at the world and only see the destruction of the attack but you make my world a lot better when you’re in it.”

 

Kara didn’t look up until the end of her confession but, when she did, it was to see slack-jawed shock on Lena Luthor’s face. Who in the world created this creature before her? This bastion of optimism who could even see Lena’s darkness as a grand source of light?

 

“Kara I-”

 

She was cut off before she could say… whatever it was she was going to come up with to say.

 

“No,” Kara said, putting her hand up to halt Lena’s words. “You don’t have to say anything. I didn’t say it so you’d say something nice back to me. I said it… I said it because we obviously live in dangerous times and I don’t want to have any regrets about not saying the things I want to say to people. I’ll see you tonight, okay?”

 

She left with a small wave and a big smile. And, as she shut the door, Lena replied. 

 

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, Kara.”

 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

“You beepered me for a deadline?” Kara asked rhetorically, looking at James as if he’d lost his mind. “That watch is for emergencies only.”

 

The Kryptonian could not fathom James’ current operating level of self-importance and carelessness. Bloodsport was getting away that very moment because Kara’s heart had sunk at the idea that James was in trouble. That he might be in dire need of her help. And he’d paged her about an article she’d yet to write because she hadn’t yet come to terms with losing a friend. With being the reason he’d been sent out of her life just when she was getting through to him. Just when he was starting to become not only a better person.

 

She listened to James’ pointless, stupid and concocted reason for calling her away from the field over a puff piece and felt her blood start to boil. If he was so worried about her, he should have pulled her aside when they were together at the bar. If he was so incensed by her job performance, he should have called her into his office for a reprimand. If he was so hell bent on lording over her, he should have thought twice.

 

“Don’t you  _ ever _ do that again,” she warned with as much vitriol as she could summon.

 

Kara honestly couldn’t remember the last time she was this angry? Was it when she was so powerless when it came to saving Alex from her kidnapper? When she blew out her powers against Red Tornado? At least in all of those cases, there was someone to punch. But not now. She would never hurt James. And he knew that. He was exercising his power over her thinking there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.

 

Well, James was wrong.

 

They went back and forth about him telling her she had a life and a job. Essentially trying to get her to spend more of her time with  _ him _ . Kara may have thrown herself into Supergirl more than usual after The Daxamite invasion, and Cat Grant’s exodus, but she had  _ not _ closed herself off to everyone. She’d spent time with Alex for Danvers Sister binge nights, she’d had lunches with Winn at the DEO, and she’d seen James both at work and at the bar when she chose to spend her time at either. Something told her this wasn’t about her work ethic. Something told her this was about Mon-El’s absence and a perceived lack of competition on his part. But she wouldn’t dare say that. If Kara Danvers was anything, it was humble.

 

“You know something,” she said, turning to face him as he settled behind his desk. His desk, that should have been Cat’s desk. “If you think some article is more important than me catching a criminal and saving lives, then obviously our priorities, and the priorities of this office, are no longer aligned.”

 

“What do you mean?” he asked, his voice softer and his eyes frightened. As if he’d finally figured out he’d crossed a line he shouldn’t have.

 

“I mean I started working at CatCo because I believed in Cat Grant,” she said with all the power she felt summoning the media queen’s name. “And Cat Grant  _ always _ believed in the greater good. When she thought I was Supergirl, she nearly fired me because she knew that fighting the good fight and saving people would always be far more important than anything I could have done within these walls and it wasn’t until we convinced her that I wasn’t Supergirl that she relented. Now, I know how to balance my two lives and I know how to balance my own feelings. I have needed Supergirl more recently and I will not apologize for leaning on her when that means keeping this city safe. Not to you, not to anyone. What I will do is get out of your way and allow you to run this company the way you see fit. Without me.”

 

“What?” James rounded the desk and quickly moved toward her. “Kara, you can’t just quit. You love CatCo.”

 

“No, I loved Cat Grant’s CatCo. I quit yours,” she corrected him before looking down at his watch and repeating her warning. “That is only for emergencies. Use it again for your own personal sense of power and I’ll rip it off your wrist and crush it.”

 

She walked out to the tune of her name being repeated on his lips and allowed the tears to flow as she rode down to the lobby in the elevator. 

 

She did love CatCo. But it was being taken from her at every turn.

 

____________________________________________________________________________

  
  


“Fucking Patriarchy,” Lena whispered as she exited Edge’s office and hit the lobby button in the elevator. 

 

She knew it would go that way. Knew that he wasn’t after CatCo because he believed in reporting the truth or because he thought it was a lucrative business investment on its own merit. No, Edge wanted to control the narrative. He wanted the city to believe what he told them. And under his control, CatCo would be nothing more than a husk of what Cat Grant had built. 

 

Which would break Kara’s heart. 

 

As the elevator doors opened to unleash her upon the streets of National City, Lena strode purposefully to her car and slid inside. As her driver closed the door she thought about all the hard work Kara had done to get to where she was. About all the sacrifices Cat Grant had made to build her empire. How she’d left it to take on a greater cause and step into the fight for a better world. With Morgan Edge owning CatCo, there would be no more free press in the city. No more praise of its hero. No more hope for a better tomorrow. It simply wasn’t fair that he got to buy his way into setting the tone for the future of the one place she was beginning to think of as home.

 

“Where to, Miss Luthor?” Sam asked as he put the car in drive and awaited her command.

 

She meant to tell him to take her back to her office but her tongue halted at the words and took a route more congruent with her heart.

 

“I’d like to stop by and see my stockbroker, Sam,” she said, surprising even herself. “35th and Commerce, please.”

 

“Absolutely, Miss Luthor,” he said before raising the partition and setting the car into motion.

 

Unlocking her phone, Lena dialed her broker’s number to give her a little warning as to the nature of her visit.

 

“Sydney, hello, it’s Lena,” she said, a smile starting to grow on her face as her heart started pounding in her chest. “I know it’s late in the day and I’m more than happy to pay you overtime but I need to meet you at your office for a quick consult. I’m thinking about investing in a new vertical.”

 

Her smile on grew wider as she listened to Sydney inquire about the venture.

“Media.”

 

____________________________________________________________________________

  
  


Kara didn’t like the idea of this unveiling one bit. Not only because she didn’t need the recognition but also because so many people were at risk. Nearly everyone she loved on the planet was down there on the ground waiting for the unveiling of her statue. And, while she did feel a sense of pride around all the hope that Supergirl seemed to give the people of National City, she also did not think it was worth the cost of a possibly fatal attack from Boodsport.

 

“All quiet so far,” J’onn said as he took his place beside her. “And you know that’s never a good thing.”

 

“Tell me about it,” Kara replied, arms crossed and jaw clenched tight.

 

“Heard it wasn’t quiet earlier today though,” he continued, obviously trying to have a heart to heart. “I heard Alex came down on you pretty hard for quitting CatCo.”

 

“Rao, J’onn, please tell me you’re not about to do the same,” she said, groaning.

 

Her argument with Alex over quitting CatCo wasn’t a pleasant one but Alex just didn’t get it. She didn’t understand that CatCo was never just about the job. It was about believing in something. Believing in all of the virtues Cat thought so highly of. That would all go away once Morgan Edge was in control. James had simply accelerated a decision that she’d have made later down the road.

 

“Not at all,” he answered. “No, what Mr. Olsen did was not only selfish but reckless. I might have done the same thing had I been in your shoes. Especially after the announcement about Edge. I’m sorry, Kara. I truly am. I know how much CatCo means to you.”

 

It felt good to not be taking heat over her decision to leave. Especially when there were so many other things to focus on. J’onn’s words felt as if they’d lifted a weight from her shoulders so she used her left one to give him a nudge.

 

“Thanks, J’onn,” she said as she focused in on Lena’s beautiful form nearing the stage. “It means a lot to be understood about this.”

 

“You’re welcome, Supergirl. Now, let’s keep our eyes and ears open. Time for the show to start.”

 

She did just as he said; scanning the crowd while occasionally allowing her eyes to wander toward Lena. Lena who was beaming as she spoke such kind words about Supergirl. She, of course, started by diminishing her position. Saying that she’d get right down to what everyone came for after a few brief words. Lena was like that. Like Kara. She didn’t need credit. She didn’t seek approval from the world because it was already against her half the time anyway. She believed in herself and her friends… which were kind of just Kara and Supergirl. 

 

“Some of you must be thinking, I know, it’s a cold day in hell. A Luthor, praising a Kryptonian,” she said once the statue was revealed. “But, ever since I came here, she has been an inspiration to me. She’s been a mentor and, most importantly, she’s been a friend.”

 

Kara’s knew she should be focused more on the crowd, in tune more with what was happening around her, but the genuine nature of Lena’s words created a warmth within her that morphed into chill bumps all over her body.

 

“Sounds like it’s about time for you to go join the crowd,” J’onn said, interrupting her thoughts.

 

She responded with nothing more than a smile before she prepared to float down but her movements were halted by a rumbling within the earth. 

 

“What the hell just happened?” she asked rhetorically as she and J’onn lept to the ground to locate the source of the explosion.

 

Chaos surrounded Kara as she listened closely for three distinct heartbeats: Alex, Lena, and Maggie. The quick audible inventory told her that they were all fine. What she needed to do now was locate the source of the attack. Winn was scrambling to source it at the DEO, J’onn tried and failed to locate Dubois’ mind and Alex and Maggie were busy trying to evacuate the area. It was only when Kara stopped to think that she remembered something about the cloaking device.

 

“The pressure regulator wasn’t meant for high altitude, it was meant for low altitude,” she said. “They’re underwater.”

 

Kara took to the air to listen as closely as she could for Dubois’ heartbeat. Finally, after shutting out all the rest of the noise, she plummeted into the water below and tried to set the submarine off course.

 

____________________________________________________________________________

  
  


Lena’s heart was in her throat as she watched Supergirl dive hard into the water to save them all. Though her instinct was to stand and wait for her to emerge victorious, she knew there was no use in simply standing around, worrying. There were people in need of help. She ushered as many citizens as she could away from the scene and looked for Agent Danvers. Surely she would better know how to handle the situation.

 

It was only when, upon her approach, Lena hear the words ‘She can’t breathe underwater’ uttered that her heart started working overtime.

 

“Oh my God,” she rasped as she looked back to the water. “Please come back to us.”

 

The fact that yet another explosion hit made the situation even more dire. Because, if it was in her power, Supergirl would have stopped that explosion.

 

“Fight, Supergirl,” she said, softly before her emotions took over and she yelled straight at the sea. “You have to fight!”

 

____________________________________________________________________________

  
  


_ “You have to fight!” _

 

What had happened? Where was she?

 

Right, the water. She must have blacked out from the blast. She blacked out and… and Lena told her to fight. Where was Lena?

 

Far away. Her heartbeat was strong and erratic and far away.

 

Time to get to work.

 

The only way she was going to take down this ship was to take it up. Up, up and away. 

 

Every muscle in her body screamed in pain, every vessel pumped blood hard to help her achieve her goal. Finally, with every cell in working in concert to lift the sub, she was able to break through the surface of the water and raise it high in the air where she saw them. All of them. Alex, Maggie, J’onn and Lena. They were all safe. She’d done it.

 

____________________________________________________________________________

  
  


“Man, that girl is really somethin’ isn’t she?”

 

A nearby onlooker stared up at the sky as he made the statement to no one in particular. No one had answered. Probably because, like Lena, no one could take their eyes off of  _ her _ . Water cascaded down every muscle and sinew in that battered body that worked so tirelessly to always save them all. She could crush them with little more than a flick of her wrist. She could rule them and, God, with that fiery and determined look in her eye, who wouldn’t willingly bow down? If Supergirl were even remotely inclined she would take up the scepter of the super being that she was. But she didn’t. She wouldn’t. Instead, she risked her life time and time again to save them all. Lena could erect a thousand statues in her name and it still wouldn’t be enough. 

 

“She’s so much more than somethin’,” Lena said, not even remotely caring that her thirst, at that moment, was obviously for sea-salted Kryptonian. Looking down at her phone, she made one of the biggest career moves of her life with a text that held only two words: buy it. After pressing send she looked back up and walked toward her car. “She’s an inspiration.”

 

____________________________________________________________________________

  
  


“Lena, I am so sorry I couldn’t make the unveiling today,” Kara said as she entered the CEO’s office. “Are you alright?”

 

She knew damn well Lena was alright physically. As soon as she was out of the water her eyes did a scan to ensure she’d suffered no injuries. But she wanted to ensure that Lena wasn’t too shaken up from the attack.

 

“I’m fine, Kara. Absolutely fine,” she said, smiling a lot wider than she rightfully should be after experiencing such an event. “Supergirl was there to save the day. As always.”

 

“I know, I heard that made that submarine a fish out of water,” she joked, adjusting her glasses and chuckling just as insecurely as she always did when she had to talk about her alter ego. “I’m just glad you’re alright. I also wanted to stop by and see if you made any progress with Edge in your meeting.”

 

“Sadly no,” Lena answered, rubbing her hands together as she spoke. “That was a dead end. Morgan Edge is a bully and an opportunist. Once he has his sights set on something there’s no talking him out of going for it. You have to beat him at his own game.”

 

“Oh, that’s alright, Lena,” Kara said, face falling despite her words. “I appreciate you trying. I don’t think I could bear losing CatCo if I didn’t at least ask you to take a shot at saving it.”

 

“Well, as it happens,” Lena said, quirking her head to the side in that way she did when she had big news to spill. “I didn’t just take a shot at it, I hit the bullseye as well.”

 

“What?” Kara asked, brow furrowing in confusion.

 

“I beat him at his own game, Kara,” she elaborated, moving closer to the blonde. “I bought the competing shares for the company. CatCo is, essentially, mine now.”

 

“You what?” Kara asked, heart nearly pounding out of her chest with joy and relief.

 

“I know,” she said, smiling and shaking her head as the reality of the situation settled over her. “I know it sounds crazy but I was inspired. Supergirl inspired me actually. She’s always out there, doing the right thing, no matter the cost and I guess… I guess I wanted to try to embody that as well. I know at least one person I thought might be happy about it.”

 

Her eyes focused on Kara as she metaphorically tipped her hand.

 

_ Did she do this for me? Is that what she’s saying? Did Lena Luthor just buy CatCo… for me? _

 

“I…” Kara shook her head as tears started to mist over her eyes at such a monumental gesture. “Lena I have so many emotions running through me right now that happy is only in the top ten most powerful.”

 

She moved closer, trying to ensure the closeness she yearned for was accepted and it was, with open arms.

 

“Thank you so much for saving CatCo,” Kara said as she enveloped the CEO in as tight a hug as she dared. “You have no idea how important this is for the city… how important it is to me.”

 

“I think I might have had a notion,” Lena replied as she squeezed back, her thumb gently rubbing the exposed skin of Kara’s neck. Her scent flooding her Kryptonian senses. Her voice lower and softer in a way that warmed Kara in places that weren’t just the heart.

 

“I um…” she moved away for fear of doing something to alert Lena of how she was feeling inside and stumbled over about a hundred thoughts in her mind to focus in on the most important to address in the moment. “I um, hope you’ll accept my application to work there again… I kinda quit yesterday.”

 

“You what?” Lena’s eyes widened in utter shock and her hands went out as if her arms might receive the answers her mind yearned for. “Why?”

 

“A disagreement with current leadership,” Kara answered, scrunching her eyes and rubbing her fists together. “I had a fight with James. A pretty big one about personal boundaries. And, when I thought that Edge was going to take over anyway I let myself get caught up in the moment and just quit.”

 

“He what?” Lena asked, lowering her hands and grinding that perfect jawline. “Did he harass you in some way, Kara? Because I’ll have him fired before you’re even able to exit this building.”

 

“Oh no! God no!” Kara said, putting her hands out as if to stop Lena from firing James then and there. “No, James is good at running CatCo… Well, he’s sorta good at it. He’s good at the business part. Making sure things run the way they’re supposed to and, perhaps, asking too much of his employees.”

 

“Kara, you worked for Cat Grant,” Lena interrupted. “Everyone knows she’s one of the toughest people on the planet to please and you did that without complaint. Now tell me, what did he do?”

 

She was close again. So close that Kara could hear the rage beating out a cadence in her chest. Lena Luthor wanted to protect her. Wanted to keep her safe. That’s something she didn’t get to feel very often. Being protected. And it felt so good coming from Lena. But, she really didn’t want James to get fired so she needed to come up with something ASAP to tell the CEO before he was escorted out of the building.

 

“He…” she searched for something to say that could set things right when, suddenly, her mind decided the truth was the best option. “He wanted me to do another exclusive with Supergirl. Get her take on the Daxamite invasion. And I just wasn’t ready to talk to her about it. As you know, Mon-El was my friend. He… he got me in ways that a lot of people didn’t. Losing him was a big deal for me. A really painful big deal. And it was Supergirl who made the call that sent him away. Even though it was the right call. Even though there was nothing else she could do. I just, I needed some time away from her to deal with that and James wasn’t respecting my time-table.”

 

“Oh, Kara.”

 

There was a great deal more pain evident in Lena’s eyes than Kara had expected. She wondered for a moment where it was coming from but Lena put a stop to that wondering fairly quickly.

 

“Kara how is it that you can’t talk to Supergirl but you can talk to me?” she asked, heart breaking in her eyes. “If it weren’t for me the Daxamites would never have even had a chance at getting through to Earth.”

 

“Oh, Lena no,” Kara said, stepping forward and taking Lena’s hand. “If Rhea hadn’t gotten what she needed from you she would have found a way to get it from someone else. Trust me, that woman was resilient. She forced your hand and Supergirl’s. I just… I just wish Supergirl could have found another solution. That’s all. But maybe I’ve been putting too much blame on something that was completely out of her hands.”

 

And just like that, Lena Luthor healed Kara Danvers without even knowing it. Kara felt lighter inside. She felt absolved of a crime she never truly committed. She felt freer. Sadly, her elation was cut short by a voice that shifted her emotions quickly to anger.

 

“Well, well, what do we have here?” Morgan Edge said as he entered Lena’s office unannounced. “A proposal and a new company all in one day? What a busy woman you are, Miss Luthor. Tell me, did Miss Danvers demand a multi-billion dollar company for the pre-nup or did you know it was the only way to get her to say yes?”

 

“My apologies, Kara, but it would appear I have some trash to attend to,” Lena said, eyes fixed on Edge. “Would you mind terribly if we continue this conversation later this evening?”

 

“Not at all,” Kara said, itching to get into her suit. “My allergies act up when in the presence of white male privilege and hair plugs anyway.”

 

“Good to see ReporterCorp’s going strong,” he called out to her as she exited. “Always was a Karolsen fan myself, though. Shame he wasn’t affluent enough to stay in the picture.”

 

She listened, as he continued with Lena, while changing into her suit in the restroom.

 

“You’ve got some nerve,” he said menacingly as Kara rushed to the top of the building via the stairwell and started to ascend.

 

“And you’ve got about five seconds of time to kill before I have my security team throw you out into the street where you belong,” Lena countered, not an ounce of fear present in her voice.

 

“All this posturing just to win the affections of a woman?” Edge said, causing Kara to pause her descent just before she reached the balcony. Hovering, she continued listening. “Tell me Lena, how emotionally damaged do you have to be to shell out that much of your fortune in order to get a date?”

 

“Contrary to the hashtag you’ve been browsing on Tumblr, Morgan, Kara Danvers and I are simply good friends,” Lena replied, her tone becoming protective again. “Might I suggest you seek out content that was actually made for your consumption. Something with snakes, perhaps?”

 

“Oh, you might have that bright eyed blonde fooled with your innocent little ‘act of friendship’ but I’ve been around a long time, honey. I’ve seen the way you look at her and it tells me you want to do a hell of a lot more than braid her hair during sleepovers,” Supergirl’s mouth opened wide as she listened to his salacious comments. “But I’ll tell you one thing. Kara Danvers isn’t going to give you a fraction of the thoughts that I will. You, Lena Luthor, now have my full and undivided attention.”

 

And that was her cue. Dropping down onto the balcony, Supergirl strode right into the room, eyes shooting daggers at Edge.

 

“Supergirl,” Lena said, turning to greet her new guest with a welcoming smile. “How nice of you to stop by.”

 

“Just on my way to pick up some trash,” she said, tossing Lena a look before setting her sites back on Edge. “You done with him?”

 

“He’s all yours,” Lena answered with a smile.

 

____________________________________________________________________________

  
  


Truth be told, Lena was a little nervous about being in the company of so many people who were so much closer to Kara than she was. She knew that Kara was the only reason she’d been invited to Alex and Maggie’s food tasting but she wondered why now? Why, after over a year of passing interactions had she finally been invited out with the Scooby gang? Perhaps it was something Kara had said, though she couldn’t imagine what.

 

“Jesus Christ, Lena, you live a life in constant peril every day and you just dropped billions of dollars on a company you know nothing about, why the hell is walking into a bar your Achilles heel?” she asked herself as she continued to stare at the door.

 

“Maybe because drunk people can be obnoxious and overly judgmental?” a familiar voice asked from around the corner as Kara Danvers appeared, all smiles. “It’s a lot easier to do with a friend… and a new employee. Need some backup, boss lady?”

 

“Kara, sometimes I swear even Supergirl would be jealous of your hearing,” Lena replied, shaking her head but smiling back and offering her arm. “Come on. I promise I’ll be a much kinder drunk than Cat Grant even on her best day.”

 

“Miss Grant actually wasn’t that bad drunk,” Kara said, taking the extended arm without a second thought and opening the door for the both of them. “It was when she was sober and her mother was in town that you really had to worry.”

 

“Ah, imagine that. Two bosses with mommy issues. How lucky can one reporter be?” Lena teased as they walked through the building and made their way to a table of smiling faces.

 

Lena was in her head for a good part of the beginning of the evening. Before the drinks loosened her up. She was thankful that most of the attention was rightfully aimed at the two brides to be. There were moments though where someone else’s attention was certainly on her. A touch on her arm when Kara asked if she was alright, a graze of her hand when she asked if Lena would like another glass of wine. Kara was taking care of her. And the jealous looks those actions elicited from James Olsen were enough to tell Lena that their little spat had more to it than just a late article.

 

Another issue for another day.

 

She watched Alex and Maggie closely. Though their enthusiasm for alcohol mixed with their incessant talk about firearms was certainly concerning, they didn’t seem quite so scary outside of the cover of their badges. There was a softness they had around each other that wasn’t there when they were separated. Alex had a habit of grabbing hold of Maggie’s arm and leaning her head against her shoulder when telling an endearing story. Maggie had a similar inclination to seek out Alex’s eyes when she accidentally stepped into a more personal area of their life. One that was obviously hard for her to speak about; like the absence of her family at the future event. And, just like that, Alex would take over the conversation, staring only at Maggie, as if everyone else in the bar had completely disappeared.

 

It was beautiful in its own desperately cornball way. They got each other. Really got each other.

 

_ Wait, what was it Kara had said earlier? About Mon-El?  _

 

_ ‘He got me in ways a lot of people didn’t.’ _

 

So, that’s what had really been going on. She was in love with him. Lena had thought as much but Kara always seemed so genuine when denied her inquiries on the issue. He certainly seemed to be in love with her but she… well, to be blunt, she was always too good for him in Lena’s eyes. Which made it easier to believe Kara when she said they weren’t together. 

 

Though, to be fair, no one was good enough for Kara in Lena’s eyes. Not even Lena.

 

She decided to ask her about it later. Perhaps after a few more drinks and when they weren’t around so many open ears.

 

“Alllllright, bring on the food!” Kara said with enthusiasm as they were all led to a closed off area of the bar meant to host the food tasting.

 

And Lena followed with glee.

 

Watching Kara Danvers eat was a delicacy in itself. Possibly not suited for everyone’s palate, as it could certainly end up on the less refined end of the spectrum but, for Lena, Kara’s seemingly endless zeal for food was one of the most endearing things she’d ever witnessed. She wondered if it was an internal contest with herself to see just how much she could stuff into her mouth all at one time. Her cheeks puffed out like that of a chipmunk and she still managed to smile while gorging on her bounty. It made Lena laugh every single time.

 

It was during Kara’s preoccupation with the potstickers that Lena found herself alone and in a corner with Alex. Her posture holding all the hallmarks of an investigator about to interrogate her ‘man’.

 

“Crazy how much that girl can put away, isn’t it?” Alex said before taking a swig of her beer.

 

“She should be studied,” Lena replied in jest.

 

“Like in a lab?” Alex countered quickly, putting the bottle down on a nearby table with more force than necessary. “You want to put my sister in a lab and watch her eat pork dumplings?”

 

“What? No?” Lena answered, backing up a bit. “It was a joke. I was only teasing.”

 

“Yeah, but you do that, right? Study things? I mean,” Alex quirked her head and put her hands on her hips as she spoke, obviously a few beers too many in the hole. “You’re a scientist and a genius so you’re pretty perceptive. What are your findings on my sister?”

 

Alex’s eyes were narrowed in as if she were trying to scan for any falsehoods that Lena might let slip. She really needn’t have worried so much. This was the big sister talk. Alex was obviously worried that Lena had ulterior motives with Kara.

 

“I believe I know what you’re getting at, Agent Danvers, and I have no problem sharing my findings regarding Kara with you,” Lena said, setting her wine glass down next to Alex’s beer and crossing her arms defensively. “She’s smart and she pays attention. That’s a good combination for a reporter to have. She’s loyal and honest; always looking for the best in people, which is a trait far too few of us espouse these days. She’s beautiful, both inside and out. So much so that I’d wager her smile could solve a great many of the world’s problems if only our leaders were exposed to it for even a fraction of the time that I’ve had the pleasure. But, most of all, she’s kind. I don’t believe I’ve ever encountered someone so gentle in my life. She chooses her words carefully so as not to offend. Even around a Luthor. No one else bothers to do that.”

 

Her last words were intentionally pointed as she hoped Alex might hone in on the fact that she was being needlessly rude. Lena Luthor would never hurt Kara Danvers.

 

“I’ve found your sister to be one of the finest people I’ve ever had the privilege to call a friend,” she finished. “And I would sooner lose my fortune than risk doing anything that might cause me to lose that privilege.”

 

“Wow,” Alex said, nodding her head as if impressed. “You guys sound  _ super  _ close.”

 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

Kara heard Lena’s speech. Every, single word. It felt like light was pouring into her with each carefully selected endearment. She very nearly allowed the conversation to continue but then she realized  _ exactly  _ where Alex’s line of questioning was headed. At first, probably like Lena, Kara had thought Alex was giving her the third degree because she’d just bought CatCo, which certainly seemed like a romantic gesture, but after hearing that last question, Kara realized that Alex was trying, rather carelessly, to suss out whether or not Lena knew Kara was Supergirl. And she needed to shut the conversation down, post-haste.

 

“Hey, you two!” she said, showing up with a plate of egg rolls. “I’ve got fried, carby goodness! Who wants some?”

 

“Oh, Maggie and I already decided on the spring rolls,” Alex answered, grabbing her beer. “Well, Maggie decided on the spring rolls and I got to pick out the beer. Speaking of which, I’m going to grab a fresh one.”

 

She waited for Alex to stroll out of earshot before placing the plate down on the counter and addressing Lena.

 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” she said, raising her hands to her head, one of them holding her ale. “I saw her grilling you from across the room. You’d have thought you were smuggling ancient alien technology to the Russians. Did she make you uncomfortable?”

 

If the concern wasn’t evident in her voice she was trying to ensure it was present in her puppy-esque features.

 

“A lot less than she thinks she did,” Lena replied with a shake of her head and a smirk as she retrieved her wine from the table. “I’m fine Kara. And Alex is… well, semi-drunk and just being an overprotective older sister. I think she might be thinking along the lines that Edge was hinting at this afternoon.”

 

“Ah, the whole ReporterCorp thing?” Kara asked, relieved that Lena hadn’t gone down the path Alex was leading her. With breadcrumbs, no less. 

 

“It never gets old,” Lena confirmed, taking a sip of her wine. “And I have no doubt my most recent purchase is only going to fan the flames of the conspirators even more. Hope you don’t mind being constantly pegged as a Luthor’s latest conquest.”

 

“Oh, from what I’ve read, ReporterCorp is far more romantic than that,” Kara corrected, the Zakarian ale obviously loosening her tongue. “It’s SuperCorp that gets more into the conquering stuff.”

 

Lena’s head quickly spun to her right, toward Kara, as her brows reached for her scalp.

 

“Kara Danvers, are you telling me you’ve actually been reading some of the smut being posted about not only us but Supergirl and myself?” she asked, positively scandalized.

 

“What? No!” Kara 100% lied, waving her hands in front of her as if the action would wipe Lena’s memory.

 

It did not.

 

“Then how do you know that SuperCorp is more about conquest?” Lena asked. “Also, who’s conquering who?”

 

“Little bit of both,” Kara slammed her hand over her mouth as soon as the words spilled out of their own accord.

 

“You  _ have _ read it,” Lena accused, eyes wide as she drew closer, cornering Kara near a column and placing her hand upon it to prevent her escape. “You just became infinitely more interesting, Kara. And I’m saying this as someone who just bought a company so that she might work beside you. Now, tell me, which do you prefer?”

 

“Um…” Kara swallowed thickly and tried to look down at the floor but found that, in doing so, her eyes were actually drawn to Lena’s ample cleavage, which she abandoned for the safety of her inquisitive green eyes immediately. Though ‘safe’ wasn’t exactly how she was feeling at the moment. “What do you mean? Do I prefer SuperCorp over ReporterCorp or do I prefer you conquering Supergirl?”

 

A devilish and predatory smile grew on Lena’s lips as she took in the information and watched Kara squirm. 

 

“I’m fairly certain you answered that last part by omission,” she said, making no move to retreat.

 

_ Omission? _ Kara thought.  _ What did I omi…. Ooooooh. God! I only referenced Lena conquering Supergirl. I have got to get out of this conversation! _

 

“And, as much as I’m thoroughly enjoying watching you squirm, I won’t make you answer the first part,” Lena said before finally backing away. “Because I never truly wish to make you uncomfortable. You’re off the hook, ‘Reporter’.”

 

_ Oh, thank Rao. _

 

It wasn’t the first time they’d ever addressed the fact that their proximity to Supergirl created not only a fanbase but that there were many different variations of how people… saw them together. Cat had, of course, been the one to point out the strange fascination people had with their little socially visible clique while at a gala with both Kara and Lena. Noting that SuperCat was quite popular amongst what she’d deemed ‘the millennials with taste’ but that SuperCorp obviously had a much broader reach due to the whole hero/villain aspect. After that, and a few glasses of scotch in her office, Lena had taken Kara down a rabbit hole of fanart and stories she’d found in various different corners of the internet involving not only SuperCorp but ReporterCorp. Though she’d spent the entire hour blushing, she didn’t feel particularly uncomfortable with any of it. Maybe because Lena seemed unbiasedly fascinated by the idea. She neither laughed at it nor reveled in it. She simply… shared it without any semblance of expectation. And, because she did that, when people commented on it, Kara felt comfortable brushing it off. Because, as much as she certainly wondered what it might be like if it were real, it wasn’t. She and Lena were just friends. Well, as far as she knew. Because that purchase Lena made sure didn’t seem just ‘friendly’ to Kara. Or anyone else for that matter.

 

“What about Karamel?” Lena asked, pulling Kara out of her thoughts. 

 

“Oh, well, that one has kind of lost steam since… well, you know,” Kara answered, a hint of sadness entering her voice as she thought about losing her friend.

 

“No, I mean…” Lena faltered as if she were deciding if she really wanted to say what she was about to say. Apparently, she did. “You said that he ‘got’ you, Kara. In ways other people didn’t. To me, that sounds like something you’d say about someone who’s more than just a friend. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to; if it’s too painful after what happened. You didn’t tell me before so I’m sure you had your reasons but… If you lost someone that was more important to you than you’re letting on, please know that I am here for you. As a shoulder to cry on or a willing ear to listen.”

 

_ Oh, she thinks… _

 

“Oh, Lena, no,” Kara replied, shaking her head. “Don’t get me wrong. I cared a lot for Mon-El. He was really important to me. But I just… I didn’t feel that way about him. I lean more toward the selfless, caring type. And, while he might have been getting there, he also had a ways to go.”

 

She let out a cleansing breath and took a well-deserved sip of her ale.

 

“Well maybe SuperDanvers is more your speed,” Lena joked, causing Kara to spew the brew right out of her mouth. “Oh, Kara, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

 

The CEO couldn’t help the laugh as she grabbed a napkin and handed it over to the coughing blonde.

 

“No,” Kara said coughing and laughing at the same time. “No need to apologize. That one is just definitely not on my list of favorite ships.”

 

“Well, I’d keep that to yourself or you’ll let down more than one fan,” Lena said with a wink.

 

“Wait! SuperDanvers is your favorite ship?” Kara asked, eyes as wide as Lena’s had been when this whole conversation got started.

 

“ _ One _ of my favorite ships,” Lena corrected. “How could it not be? You’re two of my favorite people. You don’t get to know my OTP until you decide to tell me yours.”

 

“Maybe someday,” Kara said, knowing they were walking on thin ice. “Right now I think we should probably switch the focus to Sanvers.”

 

“Probably for the best,” Lena said as they both looked over at Alex and Maggie looking adoringly at each other. “No one likes ship wars.”

 

And though the conversation had ended, it also lingered. And it paired well with the action Lena had taken earlier that day. What if it was real? What if Lena liked her back? And how in the world could she possibly navigate that kind of deeper connection while keeping her identity a secret? 

 

Maybe they’d figure it out in the next ‘episode’ of Supergirl.


	2. The No-Good, Horrible, Super Bad Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes even Kryptonians have one of those days where they just can't win for losing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, upon watching S3E2 I was JARRED by how gay it was. Like, there was so much Supercorp goodness but it was just so off. Kara was OOC af even with the whole 'mourning for Mon-El' stuff going on and Lena! Jeez, that girl was so Kara focused it was hard for me to justify it in some of the scenes. But I decided to keep it pretty close to the original play by play because I did like the tension of it all. The story will obviously be diverting soon though because I can't stop these girls from kissing each other much longer.

Morning alarms were an Earth evil far greater than Kara had the strength to fight. She hated the changing of the seasons because it meant she was actually reliant on one to wake her for work. The effects the yellow sun had on her body were more than enough to pull her from slumber if she didn’t immediately throw a pillow over her head to at least stifle its brilliance from her eyes. But, once fall started to settle in, she was forced to conform to ridiculous notion that waking should start before the light of day.

 

That and the fact that Cat had practically burned into her brain the idea that sleep is for slackers.

 

Whatever the motivation she rose, refusing to shine until after she’d consumed a sizeable helping of carbohydrates. Her body moved as if on autopilot. Rushing at super speed through each and every motion, save the warm and comforting sensations of her shower and the yummy goodness of her breakfast. She’d not only need to be on time for work that morning, she’d also need to step up her game. With Lena so close by all the time, it would be even more difficult to hide her secret. One that she wasn’t altogether happy about hiding in the first place. But Alex and J’onn insisted. So, she was a good, little Supergirl and did as she was told.

 

Even though it meant lying to the one person she yearned to tell the most. Lena had been lied to so much throughout her childhood. Kara didn’t want to be yet another person in a long line that she found to have betrayed her. And if she didn’t come clean on her own, Lena would most certainly take it worse than if Kara told her herself. 

 

With a huff, she finished her breakfast and cleaned up at super speed.

 

She’d decided on her dark blue blouse and burgundy slacks that day. She remembered Lena commenting on the combination once after she’d unabashedly looked her over from head to toe. 

 

How did Lena do that? Take her in so obviously, so intently, and never make her feel as though she were being objectified. Perhaps it was because she looked at whomever she wanted to with the same brazen scrutiny. Or maybe it was because Lena Luthor wasn’t shy about going after what she wanted and she’d just never explicitly gone after Kara. She’d bought a multi-million dollar company just to make her smile but she hadn’t made a move in that direction. So, neither would Kara. It was one thing to lie to her about Supergirl. It was a whole other heaping helping of deceit to engage with her in something romantic when Lena didn’t know the whole truth.

 

“Got it,” she said to her shoe after finding it beneath the bed she was holding up. But then something else caught her eye. “Huh?”

 

It was her old copy of Romeo and Juliet. Mon-El must have been reading it during his ‘figure out Earth-life’ sessions.

 

“He wrote in the margins!” she said, annoyed, before dropping the bed and sitting on it as she flipped through the pages only to find something that turned her anger to sadness at only a glance. A line was underscored and her name written next to it.

 

“The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars,” she read aloud. “Oh, Mon-El. Rao, I’m so sorry.”

 

And then, with a sigh and a shake of her head, Kara slid the book back beneath the bed and hustled out of her apartment. 

 

She knew that she was going to have a breakdown over her guilt regarding his departure. She knew that she couldn’t have made any other decision. She knew that the one she made was the right call to make. 

 

That didn’t change the fact that she had no idea what had become of him. If she’d sent him to his death in that pod. And she knew all too well the pain and terror one could feel in the vast loneliness of space. Him being in love with her when she rejected him… Well, that somehow made it even worse.

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________

  
  


Lena had learned long ago that she had a power color. And, though she could turn heads in just about anything she deigned to adorn her body, red was what she was sure to wear when she wanted her impression to linger long past day’s end. Her blood red heels complemented the hue hugging her lips as she exited the elevator and stepped onto the Executive floor of her new business venture. There was a giddiness bubbling up inside her. She wondered if that was what it should have felt like on the first day of school. An excitement at the prospect of making new friends, excelling at new efforts and, perhaps, even indulging in a schoolgirl crush that had a tendency of becoming far too adult if she allowed her mind to wander.

 

Those thoughts were interrupted by her name being called out by the eager to please blonde at the reception desk. Lena knew her, not only from her trips to the office to see Kara but from Kara’s stories as well. She remembered quite clearly how incensed her friend was over the fact that Cat Grant could manage to remember a name like Teschmacher but consistently fudged two simple syllables. 

 

Lena knew Cat Grant was no fool. The woman had built an empire from the ground up and crowned herself queen. A person didn’t get that far in life lacking the ability of recollection. She’d mis-addressed Kara on purpose. The real mystery was what was behind that purpose. 

 

Lena often waffled between thinking it was out of a sense of mentorship or self-preservation. It could have been that Cat was trying to demean Kara so that she might understand struggle and perseverance. She’d be stripped of her very identity and get down to who she really was in the face of Cat’s demands. Or, perhaps, The Queen of All Media had a soft spot for the sweet and plucky assistant turned reporter. And, being known for her cold as ice exterior, Cat kept Kara at a distance so that smile, built from pure sunshine, didn’t melt the seasoned veteran’s heart.

 

Cat likely failed if the latter was her aim.

 

But, back to Eve.

 

Her exuberance brought a smile to Lena’s face and a warmth to her heart when her fan status was mentioned. It was obvious that Cat had trained her well, asking for a coffee order and eager to serve each and every whim Lena might have. And, though it felt nice, it wasn’t her style to lord over her employees. Lena was a professional, she’d leave the orders to the queen. 

 

Still, it wouldn’t hurt to take Eve up on that cup of coffee.

 

And the happiness on Eve’s face when Lena allowed her use of Cat’s elevator! It must truly have been a sight, watching Cat Grant work.

 

“Miss Lu _ thor _ ,” James said, with that pronunciation on the last syllable, making her sound like a Norse god with a special hammer.  

 

She decided she liked it when she noticed it was accompanied by a smile and James’ welcoming body language. She hadn’t forgotten what Kara had said about him crossing her boundaries, so his catering demeanor was a good start to their first day. She was in charge here, not James. It was important he know that.

 

And he did. As soon as she told him she’d be at work every day, at least for the time being, to learn the ins and outs of her new venture.

 

It was then his welcoming attitude deflated. But that was really of no consequence because it happened when Kara entered the room. And then, as always, Lena’s attention was otherwise occupied.

 

She’d brought her a gift. Of course, she had. She was Kara.

 

Lena hadn’t used a physical planner since the invention of Outlook but this Danvers family tradition would be prized and used, if only so she might think about Kara each time she opened it. After following up Kara’s explanation of the origin of the gift with the Luthor family tradition of hiring private investigators to collect intel on the occupants of their classrooms, Lena noticed how easy it was to share those things now. The things that made her different and damaged. She liked the ease of it. She liked the way Kara laughed about it. What she didn’t like was Mr. Olsen’s ego being bruised right in front of her as he admonished Lena with his gaze over her not telling him of her decision to walk the halls of her own company. 

 

He wasn’t worried about having an office ready, he was pouting about being caught unaware. James had been running CatCo without the slightest hint of supervision with Cat away in D.C. and now he had someone coming in to witness his tending of the flock. A woman, no less.

 

He’d figure out in due time that Lena wasn’t pulled by her own ego when it came to management. When something wasn’t broken, she didn’t bother herself with fixing it. She was there to learn. And, if she was completely honest, to spend more time with Kara. 

 

Perhaps that last part was the rub.

 

She explained that she wouldn’t be needing an office due to recent studies regarding successful office strategy and left it at that.

 

“Kara, do you think you could get me the dossier on the Edge investigation?” she asked, ready to dive right in and nail that cretin. 

 

She was surprised to see Kara buried deep within her phone and declining her very first request. Must have been another lead on the current story she was working on. As Kara ran off to tend to her latest crisis, James offered to have someone else take care of the dossier. He was actually being more helpful than Kara. That wasn’t how Lena had expected this to all go. Deciding instead to familiarize herself with the CatCo file system, she left the room explaining she could take care of things herself. 

 

He was trying, she’d give him that. They’d find their stride eventually. 

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________

  
  


“Crap, Kara,” she said to herself as she changed into her Supersuit on the Catco rooftop and flew off to the DEO to respond to the general alert.

 

Her first day working with Lena and she’d just turned down her first request. Not a good way to start. She needed to pull herself from that distro list ASAP. The general alerts weren’t her area and she knew that. It was just something she’d added to her list of things to do since the Daxamites left. Crime was down so much that she had more time to see to things that weren’t on her normal level of escalation. Now that Lena was going to be around more, she’d need to push more of her focus onto Kara Danvers and less onto Supergirl. Cat might have been oblivious to her quick trips out of the office, but Lena wouldn’t be. She’d just take this one last call to see what was going on.

 

She, of course, took flack from Alex via a stare that could chip paint but, in the end, she would have gotten the high alert call anyway because the thief hit another bank right as she was standing there. It served to silence any further protest from Bridezilla but Alex’s fury was the least of her problems.

 

This monster-of-the-week was a whole new batch of crazy.

 

As soon as Kara landed inside the vault to face the blonde with the velvety voice, she noted the general ease with which she moved; even when confronted by The Girl of Steel. And she didn’t reek of overconfidence either. No, this one, with all her talk of ‘playing’ with the guards above, had that wily look in her eye. The kind Batman normally dealt with right before he carted someone off to Arkham Asylum.

 

Kara was ready to cut the crap and just bring her in for J’onn to deal with but that wasn’t the way that day was set-up to go. 

 

Because sometimes she just had one of those days. The toothpaste ran out, first thing. The toast burned. The shoe was under the bed with a reminder of deep emotional pain. The boss was already let down.

 

And blondie, with the nice jacket, somehow had the power to cripple the most powerful being in National City. Kara stepped right out of her way as she exited the vault. She searched for safety, for something that she could hold onto that would bring her back down to Earth. But there was nothing. There was only that cramped pod and cold, dark space. She was there. He was there. And even though there was a ‘there’ to be, there was also nothing there.

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________

  
  


Fear. That was her weapon of choice and Kara’s new nightmare. 

 

Fear.

 

And, boy, was it strong. Strong enough to take her off-guard and transport her to an entirely different world. Not to mention cause her to be late for Lena’s staff meeting. God, she was going to owe her a huge apology for her behavior on her first day because just as soon as Kara got in to do just that, she had to dash once more for Supergirl duties.

 

If only she could tell her. If only she could explain to her that it took her a small fraction of the time to do her real job in comparison to other people and that Supergirl duties didn’t always occur at the most convenient times.

 

Maybe she knew. Maybe she was noticing that as soon as Kara disappeared, Supergirl ended up on the news feed. Alex couldn’t be mad at her for spilling the beans if Lena found out on her own given the more than blatantly obvious circumstances.

 

“Kara!”

 

Speak of the devil. Well, the really good and kind and still-happy-to-see-her-even-though-she’d-royally-screwed-up-the-entire-day devil.

 

“I was looking for you,” she said as she approached.

 

“Yeah, I know, I got your message. What’s up?” she asked, knowing immediately that her tone was way off from what it should have been. It was just… It was just that she was afraid. It had been a while since she’d gone up against an enemy that could actually make her feel fear and now she was even preemptively terrified of that.

 

“My contact from Morgan Edge’s bank came through and I was wondering if you could speak to him,” Lena asked.

 

Of course. This Edge stuff. That’s what was on her mind. Because Lena lived in a world where jerks like Morgan Edge were her biggest problem. One that could wait in the face of a psychic boogey woman that had every advantage over the city’s resident hero. She pushed it off, saying she’d take care of it later.

 

Which was definitely the wrong answer.

 

“Kara, I think I know what’s going on,” Lena said, understanding carrying through in her tone as much as it was present in her eyes.

 

_ You do? Really? You know I’m Supergirl? Please tell me you do because I am so tired of lying to you. Of sneaking around and trying to live two lives, neither of which I am good at right now. _

 

That’s what she thought. But that’s not what she said.

 

“What do you mean?” she asked for clarification.

 

“You, rushing in and out of the office,” Lena elaborated. “Not focused on work.”

 

_ Yes, yes, and… _

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she lied.

 

_ Please be talking about what I think you’re talking about. _

 

“I grew up in a house with the most deceptive people in the world. I can tell when someone’s lying to me.”

 

_ Oh, thank Rao. She’s going to say it. She’s really going to say it. Then maybe I can pull her aside and tell her about what’s happening to me. What’s scaring me and owning me and destroying me. _

 

“You don’t have to hide from me, Kara.”

 

_ You have no idea how much I don’t want to hide this from you anymore. _

 

“It’s about Mon-El, isn’t it?”

 

Right.

 

Mon-El.

 

Of course, it had to be about Mon-El. Because Kara was a girl and he was a guy and how could her world not possibly revolve around him even though she’d told Lena specifically that his romantic feelings weren’t returned!

 

She almost couldn’t believe how frustrated she was at having the exact same conversation with Lena over and over again. Why was  _ Lena _ so caught up in her perception of Kara’s feelings about Mon-El?

 

She turned away with a sigh that should have blown the papers off the desk and tried to temper her agitation while Lena offered up the one thing she actually needed most at that moment; time.

 

“I appreciate it, Lena but that is not what’s going on with me,” she said, her tone tired and clipped.

 

“Okay. Then what is it?” Lena asked, concern apparent in her every movement. “You can tell me.”

 

“It’s personal,” Kara said, standing to her full height in hopes that she might intimidate her way out of the conversation. “And I don’t want to talk about personal things at my job. I have work to do.”

 

See, that was where she messed up. Trying to use force to push Lena away. It’s what Supergirl would have done and Lena didn’t like Supergirl the way she liked Kara. Or, at least the way Kara hoped she still liked her.

 

“Okay,” Lena said, standing with a stare that said what they all knew to be true; that she was the alpha in this, and any, situation. “Then let’s talk about work. This is unacceptable behavior for an employee. You ran out this morning when I gave you an assignment, missed a staff meeting, and now, when asked to do a job by your boss, you act like it’s an inconvenience.”

 

Kara adjusted every single adornment on her body she could think of as Lena dressed her down and put her in her place. 

 

To make things even worse, Lena wasn’t wrong.

 

“I did not spend 750 million dollars on a company as a favor to a friend,” she continued.

 

And there it was. Lena hadn’t bought the company for Kara. How stupid she’d been to think so.

 

“Nor do I plan on being an absentee landlord,” her eyes were cold as ice as she spoke. “I’m a businesswoman and this is an investment. I’d like to get out of it everything I can.”

 

Of course. Because what made more sense? One of the smartest, bravest, most successful women in National City buying a company to please a friend or Kara mistaking Lena’s intentions because she saw what she wanted to see?

 

“I’ll get in touch with your contact at the bank,” Kara replied, unable to meet Lena’s eyes either due to her embarrassment over her poor performance or the stabbing pain of her heart betraying her perfectly sensible mind.

 

“Thank you,” Lena said, walls still up, words still cold.

  
  


_____________________________________________________________________________________

 

Lena stepped onto the balcony and took in a deep breath of fresh air with one thought on her mind. Her own voice railing against her in her head.

 

_ You lied to her. _

 

_ And for what? Because for once in your friendship Kara Danvers made you feel unimportant? Because she has a life outside of you, outside of CatCo? She told you she was dealing with a personal matter and instead of treating her like a friend and telling her to take her time, like you were more than willing to do if she was licking her wounds over a lost lover, you lied to her and told her to get to work. _

 

_ And her face… She couldn’t even look at you after you’d read her a false riot act regarding why you were at CatCo. Breaking it all down to something as derelict of real, human value as money. _

 

_ You lied to her. _

 

_ Worse than that, you hurt her when you knew she was already dealing with something that was bothering her. _

 

The voice inside her head caused a mist to form over her eyes. She looked up to try to blink it away and wrapped her arms around her slumped frame.

 

Lena knew that Kara wasn’t the type to shirk her duties. Kara was always busy with something at CatCo. To the point that Lena had become jealous of the very environment because it commanded so much of her attention. Plus, she’d survived years working under Cat Grant. That wasn’t accomplished by someone who liked to cut corners and take the easy way out. 

 

What had she done? Was this entire acquisition a mistake? She had no idea what she was doing, her presence was causing James to become territorial and now she’d pushed away her main reason for being there in the first place.

 

“Damn it,” she said to no one but the birds as she walked back inside, wondering what Cat Grant would do just as her eyes found the bar. “I suppose it’s five o’clock somewhere.”

 

And, with that, she poured herself a drink that made her look much more like she owned that particular office.

  
  


_____________________________________________________________________________________

 

It was way past sunset by the time Kara finally got the better of Psi and made it back to CatCo to see if Lena was still there. And she was.

 

Leaned over the desk of a CatCo employee was the hardest working woman in National City. It seemed appropriate to address her in darkness given that’s how that horrible day had started.

 

“So, I got in touch with your contact at the bank,” Kara said as Lena stood to address her. She had to force herself to meet the CEO’s eyes. “He’ll make a great source on Edge.”

 

“I’m glad,” Lena replied, her body language more open than it was before.

 

It should have made it easier for Kara to talk to her… but it didn’t. Kara picked up a Rubik's Cube and tossed it between her hands as she tried to find the words she needed to say.

 

“And I owe you an apology,” she started with the obvious. “The truth is, you were right. Not for the reason I think you keep referring back to, but about Mon-El in general. Though I may not have been in love with him, I did love him. And not knowing what happened to him… It’s impacting me more than I thought it would. It hurts; the uncertainty of what happened to him. But that is no excuse for my behavior with you today. Not as an employee and certainly not as a friend. I hope… I hope that going forward, you’ll give me a chance to prove to you I’m better at both.”

 

Lena’s head simply shook and she looked as if she were about to speak but thought better of it before redirecting the conversation.

 

“Kara, would you mind if we took this out on the balcony?” she asked with a small hopeful smile. “I don’t believe you’ve taken a breath in the last minute and a half but I sure could use some fresh air right about now.”

 

“I would love that,” Kara said, inhaling all those breaths she wasn’t taking and following the CEO. 

 

Cat’s old balcony was one of her safe spaces. A place where she’d found comfort and wise words from her former boss. She hoped very much that it would remain that way after this talk with Lena.

 

“First of all, Kara, there’s not a goddamn thing on this Earth you need prove to me,” she said, strong right out of the gate. “You are one of the purest beings I’ve ever met and I know that it’s not in your nature to push off your duties at work. In all actuality, if you hadn’t come here tonight, I was going to drop by and see you. So that I might apologize for being a domineering boss and a horrible friend. Here I was this morning, trying to show Eve Teschmacher that I’m not the overlord Cat Grant was and then I go and push you to fetch dossiers and question leads as if you’re my personal pet reporter.”

 

_ There’s a fanfiction for that.  _ Kara thought but did not say as she rubbed her lips together.

 

“Lena... that’s not the way I see things. I promise,” Kara said, shaking her head emphatically and putting her hands out to halt any further apology from Lena. “You tried your best to be so considerate of what I was going through. Heck, you knew what I was going through before I did and you offered me time and space to deal with it. And what did I do? I met your concerned offer with petulance and insubordination and I am so, so very sorry for that. I know that you are a businesswoman and that you bought CatCo as an investment, not as a favor to me. And I-”

 

“I lied to you,” Lena interrupted, eyes sad but intent on solidifying the admission.

 

“You what?” Kara quirked her head as she asked the question, utterly confused.

 

“I lied to you, Kara,” she admitted, crossing her arms over her chest. It was Lena’s turn to avoid Kara’s gaze. “I told you that I didn’t buy this company as a favor to a friend. And that’s not true. Do I want to ensure National City has a source of free press? Of course. Do I believe I can make a substantial gain from this purchase? Absolutely. But would I be standing here, the new owner of Cat Grant’s balcony, if you didn’t work here?”

 

She allowed the rhetorical question to linger in the air just long enough for her to regain her nerve and lock eyes with Kara once more. Kara didn’t dare speak a word.

 

“I bought CatCo because it means so much to you, Kara,” she said, smiling with her eyes more than her mouth. As if her lips were betraying her with each word spoken. “Today I told you I bought it to make a dollar because you hurt me when you turned things professional. You made me feel as though our new dynamic negated the friendship that means so much to me. And, as a way to protect myself, I took up the part you seemed to want me to play. The role of your boss.”

 

_ God, I had no idea this would be so hard for either of us. Maybe that’s why Cat called me Keira for so long. _

 

“Perhaps that’s how Cat Grant kept the lines from blurring all those years,” Lena verbalized Kara’s thoughts without even knowing. “By calling you Keira.”

 

Lena smiled as if that last statement had been her attempt at a joke then took a deep breath to finish off the conversation.

 

“Anyway, I’m sorry. Not only for lying to you but for being so bad at this.”

 

“What?” Kara asked. “Working with friends?”

 

“No, having friends,” Lena reminded her with a smile she had no right to given the pain of her statement. “Luthor’s don’t have friends, we have minions. And there’s just going to be a learning curve here for me regarding both positions.”

 

_ God, that’s right. She’s not used to having friends. _

 

Kara wondered how many times her heart could break that day. That terrible, horrible, no good Super bad day.

 

“No, Lena,” she said seriously, shaking her head. “No, you were a great friend and boss today. Not to mention… a lot braver than I could have been. You didn’t have to tell me your secret about why you bought CatCo but you did. Which means I need to tell you that knowing you did that for me means more to me than you can ever imagine. That when I put us in those stupid roles as boss and employee without a thought to how it might affect our friendship, it hurt to see you take to the role so well. To have you look at me the way you look at everyone else; afraid to let them in. I promise to try my best to never give you a reason to look at me that way again. Because being someone show yourself to, really show yourself to… Well, that’s even better than CatCo.”

 

Lena was dead silent as she took in Kara’s words. The smile was gone from her eyes and replaced with… something else. Something Kara had seen on quite a few occasions but had never quite figured out… until Lena reached out to gently take Kara’s cheek in her hand. Then it certainly seemed like Kara knew what that look was about.

 

“Where did you come from, Kara Danvers?” Lena asked.

 

Worry immediately caused Kara’s heart to race, fear consuming her over the idea that Lena had finally figured her out. But, as Lena leaned in closer, a different kind of rhythm took over in her chest. Lena wasn’t asking what planet she was from, she was wondering how they might have been so lucky to find each other.

 

Just as their faces were  _ far _ too close together to be platonic any longer, crystal green eyes darted toward the office and Lena backed away quickly.

 

“I um…” she stuttered as she tried to regain her composure. “Actually someone’s just arrived. Someone I want you to meet.”

 

Dragging her inside, Kara was confronted with a very familiar face. It was actually so jarring she’d forgotten to be angry about the fact that said face had likely stopped a kiss Kara had been waiting about two years to experience. 

 

“Samantha Arias, meet my very best friend, Kara Danvers,” Lena said with a proud smile. “Samantha is going to be looking after things at L-Corp while I’m away.”

 

“Great! It’s nice to meet you!” Kara said, offering her head. 

 

_ And just like that, we’re back to the best friend zone. With my luck, I’ll be here longer than I was in the phantom zone. _


	3. Unconditional

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, kids. I thought it was BONKERS that they had Kara go to Mars during Alex's wedding shower. So completely ridiculous even though the Mars/Shower ep was pretty spectacular. For continuity here, I've imagined the Mars mission on a different day so that Kara could be in attendance for Alex and Maggie. I ended this chapter where I did because, though I had the idea for a drunken, girl-talk scene with all of the ladies once Alex and Maggie returned, they totally do that in the next episode and I can shift everything there. Plus, I didn't want to have to write about sad Maggie because we have enough sadness going on in the world right now. Sh, here, have some fluff.

For the better part of their life together, Kara didn’t think Alex wore anything better than tactical gear. She was always kind of jealous that her sister got to burst onto a scene in Kevlar and slim-fitting cargo pants, that made her ass look out of this world, while Supergirl pretty much looked like she’d thrown a cape over a bathing suit. But, ever since Maggie came along, Kara found that happiness was what suited Alex best.

 

Even her smile was brighter.

 

With Maggie around, Alex actually had fun having fun. Her ability to let go and laugh wasn’t relegated to the silo of Kara’s apartment, where she felt safe to be herself. She went to concerts, she went out for dinners, she’d nerd out over things that weren’t guns and knives!

 

It was beautiful to watch. Even when she was trying to pretend she was far too cool for all of the traditional events that surrounded her upcoming wedding. Alex Danvers had been glowing for over a year. And that made Kara happy too.

 

“Well, the loft looks great,” Alex said before turning her attention to the ‘guess the age of the bride’ pin board featuring multiple shots from her childhood. “Now, if we could just burn this.”

 

“No, come on, you look adorable,” Kara countered, laughing at the entire situation.

 

“I don’t know why I thought throwing a lesbian wedding shower would curb mom’s cheesy antics,” Alex replied as she walked toward the island in the kitchen.

 

She could pretend all she wanted, but this was a big deal to her. And Kara knew that. If Eliza had shown anything less than the same level of annoyance they both expected for their previously imagined heterosexual weddings, Alex would have been crying in her craft beer and asking Kara why Eliza wasn’t doing exactly what she was admonishing her for now.

 

“Nope,” Kara said, hands out, as she followed Alex and played along with the false metaphorical eye roll. “Gay, straight, whatever, Eliza will not be stopped until she digs up every bridal shower game since the beginning of time. You know what? You’re gonna love bridal bingo.”

 

“Kill me now, please,” Alex said, smile still there.

 

“Oh! I almost forgot,” Kara said, eyes wide and hands out as if they were actually holding onto the thought that just crossed her mind. “Thank you for inviting Lena again. I know you still don’t know her that well but that was really sweet. I think she’s actually coming around to thinking she’s being invited without my prompting and, this time, she was!”

 

“Yeah, well, the woman bought a media empire for you,” Alex said, brushing off the ‘thank you’ with a wave of her hand. “I figure that, at this point, she’s pretty much in it for the long haul regarding your friendship.”

 

“Hmmf,” Kara laughed through her lips. “Yeah. You could say that.”

 

There was that word again: friendship. Which was totally fine. If the most Kara and Lena ever achieved was friendship then she’d count herself lucky for having such an incredible friend. However… that moment on the balcony the night before, the one they hadn’t discussed, that sure seemed like a whole lot more than friendly. Lena was going to kiss her. She could feel it. And Kara would have kissed her back too. She’d wanted to see if Lena brought it up but then she had to go and help J’onn on Mars.... Humans were so lucky. They just didn’t have these extremely unique kinds of problems.

 

“Where did you go just now?” Alex asked, tilting her head to the side curiously.

 

“What? Nowhere. Mars,” Kara answered quickly and in the procession her brain fired off thoughts. Causing Alex’s mild curiosity to morph into scrutiny.

 

“No, you weren’t,” she countered, moving closer to Kara and causing her to wonder if she did this during her interrogations at the DEO. “You were just talking about Lena. You didn’t go to Mars in 1.5 seconds. You can’t even do that in flight. Now, tell me where you went.”

 

_ Oh, just the balcony where my new boss, best friend and non-nemesis-no-matter-what-her-lineage-says, object of my affection almost kissed me. _

 

“Just to CatCo,” Kara said, backing up. “You know, where Lena is my new boss and there are all sorts of new dynamics to our relationship because of that.”

 

“Such as,” stepping forward once more and crossing her arms.

 

Crossed arms were not good. Crossed arms meant Alex really meant business.

 

“Such as…”

 

_ Please, brain, please think. And think of something true, she knows when I’m lying. _

 

“Such as Supergirl!” she said as if she’d found Wonka’s Golden Ticket. “Such as the fact that you still won’t let me tell her I’m Supergirl.”

 

She beamed at her own answer. Not only was it truly a more pressing issue regarding her new proximity to Lena, it was also something that Alex liked to sidestep with every mention.

 

“Well, it’s a good thing that’s not Super new then, isn’t it?” Alex asked, finally retreating to the fridge for a beer.

 

“But it is, Alex,” Kara said, deciding now was as good a time as any to press the issue. “I have to work with her now and Lena’s not like Cat. She not only sees me, she looks for me. She noticed me sneaking off to do Super duty the other day and she called me out on it. I had to tell her it was really just about me dealing with sending Mon-El away but telling the whole truth sure would have been easier. Not to mention it would free me up to go off on Supergirl missions as much as I want without her asking questions. Not only to me, but to everyone in the office. Thus causing suspicion from more than just one source.”

 

“Thus?” Alex asked as she cracked open the beer and closed the fridge with her foot. “At ease, counselor. Your objections are overruled.”

 

“On what grounds?” Kara asked as Alex took a sip of the beer.

 

“On the grounds that she’s a…” Alex trailed off and sighed as she put the bottle down, knowing full well how Kara would react to what she hadn’t said.

 

“That she’s a Luthor,” Kara countered, crossing her arms this time as the angry crinkle appeared on her forehead. “Wow, Alex. How many times do we have to go over this? How many  _ more  _ times does Lena have to prove that she is nothing like her lineage. A hundred? A thousand? What’s the number because I’m starting to think there isn’t one that will satisfy you.”

 

“It’s not just me you have to satisfy, Kara,” Alex said, smiling defiantly as she took a seat. “It’s J’onn too. The more people you tell, the greater the chance you have of being outed. You know that.”

 

“Yes, but Rao, Alex, her  _ mother _ already knows. Surely if Lillian Luthor, who hates me, by the way, can keep that secret, then Lena who, who…” she trailed off, not knowing if love was the right word to say. Lena had never expressly said she loved Kara. She’d said she’d loved things about Kara but never went as to say those three words in the designated order. “...Who cares about me almost as much as you, would go to her grave with it.”

 

“Yeah, and it could send her to her grave as well, Kara,” Alex said, taking a seat at the island. The words dropping an atomic bomb of tension and silence over the room.

 

Damn it. She was right. If Lena knew and somehow slipped up with her words, so much as tipping her hand about knowing Supergirl’s identity, she could become an even bigger target than she already was. And Lena had to deal with a  _ lot _ of assassination attempts as it was. She could be tortured for that information. And the very idea of anyone hurting Lena to get to her felt like a punch to the gut from Superman.

 

“Crap,” Kara said, her entire body slumping as she sighed and took the seat next to Alex.

 

“Exactly. Crap,” Alex said, putting an arm around her sister to comfort her. “Now, you want to tell me why this really matters so much all of a sudden? Or are you going to keep me in the dark on something else. Because you know that never turns out well for either of us.”

 

“No, I know,” Kara replied, placing her hand over the one Alex was using to comfort her. “I just… You’re not going to like it and I don’t even know if it’s a big enough deal to be an ‘it.”

 

“You mean, you’re afraid to tell me something because you think I might not be accepting of it?” Alex asked, pulling back and raising a brow that stated gayly ‘remember how I was the one who had to come out to you?’. “Try me.”

 

She took a deep breath and focused on one of the apples in the fruit bowl as she spoke, trying to ground herself.

 

“I… um… I like Lena, Alex. And not in the best friend way I should, in the you and Maggie way,” she said before swallowing thickly, then looking down at her hands. “I know there are about a billion things wrong with liking her, one of them being that she doesn’t know I’m Supergirl, another being that she’s my boss, and yet another being that I’m not completely sure she feels the same way but, if I know you, the one reason you’re focusing on right now is the one I didn’t list.”

 

Kara finally looked up at Alex, needing to hold strong for her next sentence.

 

“Because she’s a Luthor.”

 

“Kara, I-”

 

“No, Alex, let me finish,” Kara said, facing Alex more. “Every single person in our friend group knows that I’m Supergirl and some of them even prefer her. Do you really think J’onn would have anything to do with me if I were just Kara Danvers? He would never even have met me. James really never knew me as her to begin with and Winn! Winn decided to profess his love to me  _ after  _  I came out to him and then took his friendship away from me when I didn’t reciprocate his romantic advances. Now, I know that it’s Kara Danvers you love most and, that has obviously rubbed off on Maggie too but Lena… Alex if I were in a room and Supergirl was right in front of Lena, she’d peek around her to look for  _ me _ .”

 

Tears misted over her eyes as she spoke, likely causing the gentleness Alex employed in her tone when she replied.

 

“But, Kara, you  _ are _ Supergirl too,” she said, raising a hand to tuck a random lock of hair behind Kara’s ear. “And Supergirl is amazing. Don’t you think should feel just as strongly about both of you?”

 

Kara thought for a moment, knowing Alex had a point there.

 

“She built a statue for Supergirl and she never did that for me? Does that count?” she asked, smiling a bit to lighten the mood.

 

“I guess it probably counts for something,” Alex said, following her sister’s lead before taking a long pull of her beer. “Though it pales in comparison to buying CatCo for you.”

 

“Tell me about it,” Kara huffed out. “And she confirmed that she bought it for me last night on Cat’s balcony. That’s what has things a little off right now. I can’t be sure but I think she was going in to kiss me after she told me that.”

 

That apple Kara had been staring at soon had beer on it after it spewed from Alex’s mouth.

 

“She tried to kiss you at work?” Alex asked, reaching for the paper towels to clean up her mess. “How did she fail?”

 

“Well, we kind of got walked in on,” Kara said, helping Alex out.

 

“That’s because you were at work!” Alex said. “Good God, you have a thing for powerful women on balconies.”

 

“What do you mean?” Kara asked, confused.

 

“Oh, don’t even give me that innocent look Miss ‘Cat not only called me by the right name today but she touched the collar of my shirt’,” Alex countered. “You loved that woman more than was humanly possible. Probably because you’re an alien.”

 

“What? Noooo,” Kara wasn’t exactly sure if she was lying there or not. She hadn’t examined thati relationship as deeply as Alex obviously had. “Anyway, none of it matters now. Even if Lena had been trying to kiss me, I can’t do anything about it. Not if I can’t tell her I’m Supergirl. And I can’t tell her I’m Supergirl if it’ll put her in danger.”

 

After tossing the last paper towel in the trash, Alex turned and placed a hand on Kara’s shoulder.

 

“How ‘bout this,” she said. “You try to keep things in the friend zone for now and I’ll talk to J’onn about our options regarding Lena knowing about Supergirl. I can’t promise anything but… I know what it’s like to want to be with someone and have something else standing in the way.”

 

Kara beamed at the suggestion and pulled Alex into as tight a hug as she dared.

 

“Maggie Sawyer is one lucky woman,” Kara said, still holding on to Alex.

 

“Don’t I know it,” Alex said with a smile and a shake of her head.

 

* * *

 

 

“Oh, Miss Luthor, hello,” James said, entering the dimly lit office only to find Lena rummaging through the cushions of his couch. “Sorry to disturb you, I didn’t think anyone would be here this late.”

 

“I suppose I could say the same for you, James. Aha!” she exclaimed, pulling the planner Kara had given her out from beneath one of the cushions. “And I thought I told you to call me Lena.”

 

“Right,” he said with a chuckle. “Of course, Lena. Lose your planner.”

 

“Not anymore,” she said, thumbing through the pages. “It turns out the Danvers Annual Planner has actually turned into  _ my _ Danvers Annual Planner. I have all the details for Alex’s wedding shower tucked in here and I’d forgotten at which stores she and Maggie were registered.”

 

Looking over the invitation, she read the list of stores and quirked her head to the side.

 

“Interesting, I wouldn’t have guessed Dick’s Sporting Goods for a lesbian wedding,” she commented.

 

“It’s because of the weapons,” James clarified, looking through his file drawer and pulling a manila folder out of it. 

 

“Ah, right,” Lena said with a smile and a nod. “I’d forgotten about their fondness for their line of work. It’s good to love what you do.”

 

“Agreed,” James smiled as well as he replied, then his face took on a more sober expression. “Uh, Lena, there was actually something I wanted to talk to you about privately and, since we certainly won’t be interrupted right now, do you mind if I steal a few minutes of  your time?”

 

“That depends. When does Dick’s close?” she asked before smirking and putting the planner in her bag, full attention on James. “Only joking, of course. What can I do for you, James?”

 

“Well, this isn't normally something I’m used to dealing with,” he said, obviously nervous about something. “I wouldn’t even mention it if it weren’t for the fact that-”

 

“Just spit it out, James,” Lena interrupted. “We’re both adults and I apparently have guns and ammo to purchase.”

 

“Right,” he smiled as he looked down at the floor and then back up at her, pulling his nerve together. “Kevin Clarke, from media, was working late last night. He mentioned that he was showing you a few things about purchase orders and the like before you got called away with Kara Danvers… on the balcony… of the glass door office.”

 

_ Do not move, do not blink, do not show the faintest sign of worry. _

 

“And?” she asked, hoping to appear completely oblivious as to what he was about to say. 

 

“And he said that he noticed you,” he said before clearing his throat. “Trying to kiss Kara Danvers.”

 

“Really?” she said, tilting her head to the side and furrowing her brow. “Well, you’d certainly think I’d remember doing something like that.”

 

“Yes, well, um, It’s obviously your relationship with Kara is 100% none of my business and, while I told him it must have been a misunderstanding, I have no control over whether or not he shares what he saw with others. I’ve asked him to but-”

 

“Perhaps he’s referring to when I was reaching out to remove an eyelash from her cheek,” she said as if she’d just figured it out. “I remember the wind was blowing and I didn’t want it to end up in her eye.”

 

“That’s probably exactly what he saw,” James said, raising his hand, relieved. “Easy to mistake those two actions for each other.”

 

“Yes, well, the mystery has been solved then,” she said, gathering her things. “I’ll be sure to have a talk with Kevin on Monday. Thanks so much for bringing this to my attention James. Will that be all?”

 

“Well, there is the matter of Kara,” he said.

 

_ Damn it. So close to escaping. But it looks as though I’m caught. _

 

“Exactly what do you mean? The matter of Kara?” she asked, her tone indicating he should tread lightly.

 

“Only that one of us should probably give her the heads up that he might have said something to others,” James clarified, looking a mixture of confused and concerned. “I’m happy to handle it if you don’t want to but I didn’t want her walking into gossip unaware.”

 

“Oh!” Lena exclaimed, far more excited than she should have been. “Right! Yes. I will take up the mantle on that one. Excellent point.”

 

“Great,” he replied, relieved. “Then I’ll leave you to your… firearms.”

 

“Excellent,” she said as she made her way to the elevator. “Have a wonderful evening, James.”

 

“You too, Lena,” she heard him calling out as the elevator doors closed and she let out the lungful of air she’d been holding for over a minute.

 

“Damn it, Lena,” she whispered to herself as she descended the building. “What the hell are you going to tell Kara Danvers when you talk to her?”

 

* * *

 

 

“Lena! Hey, get in here!” Kara said, beaming and ushering her inside with a soft grip of her shoulder. “Gosh, I was expecting you to come with an armory from what James said.”

 

Looking over toward the couch, she found Olsen perched upon the arm, talking to Winn. He waved and smiled once his eyes caught sight of her and she returned the same before moving in to accept the embrace Kara was already initiating. 

 

“Yes, well, as it happened, I was too late to acquire any firearms so the blushing brides-to-be will have to accept this in the stead of their preferred weapons of semi-mass destruction,” she said as she pulled away and handed an envelope over to Kara. “They’ll have to settle for that trip they asked for.”

 

“What trip?” Kara asked, the confusion crinkle taking up residence on her forehead.

 

“The only one on their registry,” Lena said, suddenly worried. “They did ask for a trip to Europe, correct?”

 

“The all expense paid trip to like twelve different countries in Europe?” Kara asked, eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. “Lena that was a joke. They never thought anyone would actually buy that for them.”

 

“Ah,” relief flooded her features before the smile returned to her lips. “Well, then it’ll be a _really_ big surprise then, won’t it? Now, where does a girl get a drink around here?”

 

“Oh, right this way, Ms. Luthor,” Kara said as if she were the maître d', showing Lena to the kitchen where a small ‘bar’ area was prepared. “I’m guessing either vodka or red wine?”

 

“Red wine to start, thank you,” she said, knowing she'd want to be festively lubricated, but not drunk, for her conversation with Kara later. 

 

As Kara opened the wine and poured the glass, Lena wondered how she was able to act so calm and collected. Surely she too noticed the move that had nearly been made on the balcony that night. Perhaps she was relieved it wasn’t made. And perhaps she wasn’t nervous about it because she simply wished to move on. Which was fine. Obviously Lena wanted more but she’d never try to take it at the cost of making Kara uncomfortable.

 

“Here you go,” Kara said as she handed over the wine glass.

 

“Thank you, Kara,” Lena said before taking a sip.

 

“Hi Lena!” Alex said, looking oddly as if she were trying to escape her mother. “It’s so good to see you. Thanks for coming!”

 

“Thank you for inviting me,” Lena replied, smiling at Alex. “It’s different for me to have a social life outside of the office and, I must say, I could get used to simply being around friends and letting my guard down.”

 

“Well, you’re in the company of lots of law enforcement so, if there ever was a place to do that, it’s with us,” Alex said, cracking open a beer and tipping the neck toward the tip of Lena’s glass. “Cheers.”

 

“Mom driving you crazy already?” Kara asked as she watched Alex take a healthy pull from the bottle.

 

“Yeah, but she seems to be distributing the unwanted attention equally. Maggie’s in the hot seat now,” she pointed toward her mother turning Maggie in circles so that she might play ‘pin the veils on the brides’. “That game is a lot harder than you might think when there are two targets.”

 

The doorbell rang and Kara nearly excused herself to answer it but Alex stopped her right away.

 

“Oh no, no, no,” she said, holding her hand out in a halting fashion. “I’ve got this one. Bringing someone in and showing them around will have me busy for at least five minutes.”

 

“Go for it, Alex,” Kara replied with two thumbs up as the secret agent, trying to avoid her mother, departed. “Wow. She really hates bridal showers. Even her own.”

 

Lena couldn’t help but laugh and shake her head as she drew closer to Kara and watched along. They stood there, arm against arm making small comments about the happenings around them. Kara explained to Lena that the man who’d just walked in was Maggie’s father and that he wasn’t very accepting of her sexuality. Her heart ached for Maggie in that moment.

 

“Trust me, I know how it feels to desperately seek approval from a parent who will never truly give it. It guts you. Creates a whole inside that’s not easy to fill and, if you’re not careful, you just kind of get consumed by it,” she said, looking between father and daughter. “But it looks like he may be coming around.”

 

She couldn’t even imagine how wonderful that would feel. To have her mother look at her with love and pride when Lillian didn’t think Lena was about to kill every, single alien on the planet.

 

It was short-lived though. As soon as the happy couple shared a kiss, Maggie’s father was out of the loft as quickly as if he were escaping a room full of zombies. 

 

“Uh-Oh,” Kara said, pushing her back off the counter. “I probably need to go wrangle Alex. Do you mind mingling while I do that?”

 

“No, of course not. Go to your sister, she needs you,” Lena said before pouring another glass of wine and moving toward James and Winn to immerse herself more into the group.

 

* * *

 

 

Once Maggie returned, she and Alex obviously needed a moment alone, which they decided to take outside on a walk. Eliza was doing her best to keep the mood up and the games going, for which Kara was grateful. Moving over toward Lena, James and Winn, she crossed her arms but smiled as she settled into the group.

 

“Rough day for Maggie, huh?” Winn asked, concerned.

 

“Yeah, sadly,” Kara paired the statement with a sigh. “She wasn’t even going to invite her dad until Alex insisted and now I’m sure Alex feels terrible for doing so.”

 

“They probably just need a minute to regroup,” James said. “If I know anything, it’s the toll a significant other’s father can take on a couple.”

 

“Yeah, at least Lucy’s dad never tried to disown her for dating you,” Kara replied, nudging James playfully.

 

“He probably would have if she tried to date Supergirl though,” Winn joked and then clarified his point. “Not because of the lesbian thing but because of the alien thing.”

 

“Supergirl and Lucy Lane,” Lena said, quirking her head to the side and smiling. “That would have been quite a pair.” 

 

“Oh, there’s fan art,” Winn said, absentmindedly.

 

“And you know this because…” James looked at him somewhat territorially. 

 

“Oh! Because kids and tumblr and… anyone want another beer?” Winn asked before getting up and chugging the beer he currently had in his hand.

 

“You know, I think I could use one,” James said, following him to the kitchen. “I’ll help you with that.”

 

Both women laughed as they watched them walk away and noted that, though the celebration wasn’t a barbecue, Winn was certainly getting grilled.

 

It was then that Kara felt a gentle pull of her arm.

 

“Kara, I actually had something I wanted to speak to you about,” Lena said, looking as if she’d been waiting to say that all day. “Would you mind terribly if we went somewhere a bit more private? Just for a moment?”

 

_ Does she want to talk about what I think she wants to talk about? _

 

Kara had actually loosened up at the idea that they weren’t going to talk about the night before because, well, when they did talk about it, she wanted to be able to talk about it fully. With all her feelings and secrets and possibilities. But, if they talked about it now, what could she possibly say?

 

But, then again, maybe  _ it   _ wasn’t what Lena wanted to talk about. Maybe she was worried about Edge. Maybe Edge had done something to try to hurt her that Kara didn’t know about! 

 

“Yes! Absolutely,” she said, taking Lena’s hand and dragging her to the bedroom before shutting the door. “What’s going on? Is everything okay? Is it Edge? Did he try to hurt you?”

 

Lena’s face went from pensive to endeared in under a second, looking at Kara with a smile that made her wonder if she’d just absentmindedly hung the moon.

 

“Oh, Kara,” Lena said with a slow shake of her head. “No, no. I’m fine. Everything is fine. You needn’t worry yourself so much about my safety. That’s what I pay my security team to do.”

 

“Yeah, well, given how many times Supergirl has had to save you, you may want to consider interviewing other firms,” Kara said, crossing her arms.

 

“Fair point, but let’s try to stay on task, shall we?”

 

“Oh, right,” Kara’s hands went to her back pockets as she now took a more pensive stance. “What did you want to talk about?”

 

“Well,” Lena said, starting to slowly pace in front of her, “As James was kind enough to point out to me, Cat Grant built her office with a solid wall of glass looking in and, while I’m not blind, I wasn’t quite aware of my surroundings last night when I tried…”

 

The pacing stopped along with the words and Lena looked as if her thoughts were stuck in her throat; held back by an unseen force. Her eyes which had been clinging desperately to her wine glass before, raised to meet Kara’s. As if that might help the situation. As if Kara’s presence might make the words move.

 

Apparently it did. Not just the words, but the truth.

 

“Kara, I’m sorry. I can’t seem to lie to you” Lena said earnestly, standing still now. “I came in here planning to tell you the same lie I told James about what happened the other night. About what I tried to make happen.”

 

“Lena, you don’t have to-” Kara tried to protest but Lena stopped her.

 

“No, no please, Kara, let me get this all out,” she entreated with not only her words but her eyes. “Let me say everything I need to say and then I promise you can do the same. I just need to address this while I have the nerve.”

 

_ So this is it. This is really happening. And I can’t tell her how I feel. _

 

Kara was both excited and terrified as she nodded her head to give Lena permission to speak. Excited because she was fairly certain that she was about to hear something she’d wanted to hear for what had seemed like forever. And terrified because she had no idea what she was going to say when it was her turn.

 

“We were seen while we were talking on the balcony,” Lena started, eyes locked with Kara’s. “Kevin, who’d been helping me earlier, came back to his seat and noticed me…” she paused and swallowed what looked to be a mountain of pride before continuing. “Noticed me trying to kiss you. Now, I told James that I was simply wiping an eyelash from your face but that isn’t the truth. I wanted to… I  _ have _ wanted to kiss you, Kara, for quite some time now.”

 

She paused to take a breath and center herself before continuing. All of this, obviously weighing heavily on her. 

 

“Now, I know about the grief you’ve felt regarding what happened to Mon-El, and I know that at least a part of that grief comes from the fact that you weren’t able to reciprocate the attraction he felt for you but I need you to know that those thoughts should be the furthest thing from your mind with me,” she said, placing her hand out over the air as if she were comforting it. “Because having you in my life has been one of the greatest sources of happiness I’ve ever experienced. And, regardless of the capacity in which you choose to allow me to be a part of your life going forward, know that your mere existence brings me nothing but joy. It would break me to think that my presence in your life brought you even the slightest bit of discomfort so, I will understand if this confession changes the way we interact; if you wish me to keep a distance or treat you only as a colleague going forward. But please, if you take with you nothing else from what I say now, take this: no matter what happens between us, you will never be anything less than my favorite person in the world, Kara Danvers.”

 

Kara didn’t realize she hadn’t taken a breath since Lena started speaking. She hadn’t noticed anything at all in the room. She had simply become a spectator of Lena Luthor as she stood before her, before Supergirl, and told her that, not only did she have feelings her, but that those feelings were unconditional. How in the world was she supposed to respond to that when she couldn’t respond in the one way she wished to?

 

“Um…” Lena allowed an amused chuckle to interrupt the dead silence Kara had created between them. “You can talk now. If you want to. You can also not talk. We can just go back out into the party if you like.”

 

“No,” Kara put out her hand to stop Lena should she try to make a run for the door. “No, I want to respond. I do. I just…”

 

_ Just tell her the truth. As much of it as you possibly can. _

 

“I can’t have this particular conversation right in this moment,” she said, hoping against hope that Lena would read between the lines. “I want to.  _ God _ , do I want to… respond. But there is something that’s holding me back from doing that and it’s not something I can push to the side right now. It’s not another person and it’s not because of any other reason you might think. It’s just… It’s a part of me. One I can’t change and one I just can’t show you just yet. And I know that none of that makes any sense but I hope you’ll be able to just accept that for now.”

 

“Of course I will, Kara,” Lena said, moving closer as if she were about to pull Kara in for a hug but stopping just short. “I told you, nothing you could say would change how important you are to me.”

 

“And please don’t treat me like a colleague,” Kara added, hopefully. “Please don’t stop hugging me.”

 

Lena’s eyes softened and any semblance of worry left her face as she opened her arms and invited her in, “Come here.”

 

Kara nearly jumped into Lena’s arms, holding her even tighter than she normally dared and allowing the relief of simply being there wash over her. It was odd, she noticed her hands more during that embrace. Honestly, it was the first time she’d ever noticed her hands during any embrace. The feeling of her right hand clutching the shoulder bone at Lena’s back, and her left thumb tracing over her her spine further down toward it’s base, seemed so much more intimate than it ever had before. 

 

It lasted longer than any prior hug too; neither of them letting go. As if doing so would send them tumbling off a mountain. Lena must have noticed. Her next words certainly pointed toward the idea that she did.

 

“I’m right here, Kara,” she whispered, her breath caressing Kara’s ear. “I’m not going anywhere.”

 

“Neither am I, Lena,” Kara said just before breathing her in deeply and releasing the welcomed breath. “Neither am I.”

 


	4. Say Your Prayers, Supergirl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a few things to address here, gays.
> 
> First off, we're going seriously off-script with Sanvers for the rest of the season. While the CW made progress by not killing the lesbian love interest with a stray bullet, that bullshit about Alex IlovegunsandscotchandbeerandknivesandmotorcyclesanddangerandMAGGIE Danvers, who never ONCE mentioned this desperate need to have children, doesn't fly in my book. It dies here. Sanvers is going to be fine. 
> 
> Next, I have always been under the impression that Mon-El was Kara's first sexual experience. There just wasn't anything that pointed to the contrary for me before and she didn't really have enough time to get jiggy with James so my head-canon Kara is a virgin since she never slept with Mon-El. Sorry if that contradicts your head-canon Kara or any comic book stuff that I don't know about.
> 
> Lastly, I totally forgot Samantha's name was often shortened to Sam when I named Lena's driver 'Sam' (after my dog) in the first chapter. Apologies for any confusion that might cause.
> 
> Song Credit goes to Hozier for Take Me to Church because it just fit perfectly here.

Kara Danvers liked her back.

 

She’d essentially said so without saying so at Alex and Maggie's wedding shower.

 

She wanted to talk about it but something was holding her back.

 

Of course, there was a part of Lena that wondered what this elusive secret was but that spark of interest didn’t hold a candle to the fact that Kara Danvers liked her back. She couldn’t help but smile as she thought about it while waiting on her mid-afternoon coffee at Noonan’s.

 

God, the look of fear in Kara’s eyes when she thought Lena wouldn’t understand nearly broke the CEO. But the way she held onto her so tightly afterward… as if she were clutching something precious or holding onto a port in the storm. That part was everything.

 

And now so much more was illuminated. A light had been shined into the darkness of a vault of treasures. Treasures she couldn’t exactly touch yet, to be sure, but still, treasures all the same. She wondered how they would interact that day at work. If Kara would be standoffish or nervous even. But she needn’t have bothered.

 

“Don’t tell the boss but I snuck away to get a snack,” a familiar voice whispered from behind her as a donut presented itself before her eyes.

 

“Mmm, you are such a horrible influence on me,” Lena said, turning her head to address Kara and realizing how dangerously close her lips were to the corner of her mouth. “How in the world do you eat like this all the time and maintain your perfect figure?”

 

She took the treat, and a bite from it, as she turned completely to visually appraise said figure.

 

“You think my figure’s perfect?” Kara asked genuinely with a wide-eyed fascination that she shook and stuttered off her face as soon as it appeared. “I uhh, I mean I do a lot of running.”

 

“Funny, I’ve never seen you in a pair of running shoes,” Lena countered, head tilting to the side in genuine curiosity.

 

“Around,” she corrected herself in that elevated voice she sometimes resorted to when over clarifying herself. “I mean, I’m a reporter so I’m constantly running around from source to source, trying to get the next big scoop. Anyway, more importantly, tonight I plan on doing a lot of sitting and drinking with Alex and Maggie. Sort of a post-wedding shower-mortem where we all try to help Maggie feel better about her homophobic family background. Would you like to join us? Because I would really like it if you did.”

 

“Licking old, and new, family wounds is something of a special skill set of mine,” Lena said with a smile as she noticed their coffee’s sitting on the bar. She grabbed them and handed one off to Kara. “I’d love to.”

 

“Great!” Kara said, taking the coffee and biting into her donut as they exited the que. “As long as you don’t lick Maggie. Alex definitely wouldn’t like that. And she’s always armed.”

 

“Fair point,” Lena said with a chuckle before receiving a text from Sam on her phone. She ate more of the pastry as she read. “Hmm, looks like I need to run over to L-Corp to sign some papers.”

 

She paused for a moment, unhappy at the brevity of her time with Kara that day.

 

“Would you like to come with me?” she asked, smiling hopefully. “I promise it won’t take long and it looks like your hands are busy right now anyway. You can’t very well type and enjoy your snack sufficiently at the same time.”

 

“Oh, you have no idea how good I am at shoving carbs into my mouth, however, I’d really like to spend time with you,” she said with that small, humble smile she liked to employ when she was telling truths that weren’t easy to get out. “So, I’ll pace myself with the donut.”

 

Lena allowed herself a few brief seconds just to appreciate the moment and smile before she responded.

 

“Lucky me,” she said as the exited the building and walked up to the waiting area for the cars. “I just sent Sam a text so he should be around momentarily.”

 

They finished their donuts as the sleek luxury limousine pulled up and Kara, of course, opened the door for her. Lena thanked her before settling into the seat and leaving room for Kara to sit either to the right or across from her.

 

“Um, where should I sit?” she asked. “I’m not used to having this many options.”

 

Lena could have easily said ‘wherever you like’. That’s certainly what she would have said to anyone who wasn’t Kara. But she wasn’t addressing just anyone who wasn’t Kara, now was she?

 

“Well, you have the option of next to me where I’ll be wondering if our hands will accidentally touch while, simultaneously, wondering if you’re wondering the same thing,” she said before pointing to the seat across from her. “Or you can sit over there where it’s easier for me to look at you and try to figure out if you’re thinking about what we’re not talking about. They’re both fun seats.”

 

She smiled so that Kara would know that she was stating the obvious so that it might not become the elephant in the limo with them. And Kara’s returned smile told her she was happy the ice was broken. She opted for the seat next to Lena and closed the door.

 

* * *

 

“L-Corp please, Sam,” Lena said to the driver who confirmed the location and closed the partition.

 

“So, how many theories have you come up with regarding my secret?” Kara asked, placing her left hand down on the seat between them, though it seemed miles away from Lena’s right.

 

“Since Saturday? At least a few hundred, though I only have about five real contenders,” Lena answered, right hand caressing the leather in a way that brought it a tiny bit closer to Kara’s. “Two of them being the absolute worst case scenarios. Would you like to hear those?”

 

Fear gripped Kara’s heart as she wondered if one of those guesses was correct. What if a ‘worst case scenario’ was who she was? What if Lena was _that_ opposed to being with Supergirl? 

 

Better Kara know now, rather than later.

 

“Might as well,” she said, keeping her own hand still and staring hard at the distance between them. It seemed almost metaphorical at this point.

 

“Well, the first would be that you discovered somehow that we’re related and you’re a bit more ‘Game of Thrones’ than I am,” Lena said, fear present in her voice at that point as her hand stilled. “I don’t know much about your birth family, which means it’s possible that they could be a part of mine somewhere down the line.”

 

“Oh, no, just no,” Kara answered, laughing a bit as she shook her head and finally met Lena’s eyes again. “I’m pretty sure it’s not even possible that our families.. I mean, I guess it could be but it would be Super remote. I think we’re good there.”

 

At this, Lena breathed a sigh of relief and allowed her hand to continue its movements against the seat.

 

“Thank God,” she said before huffing out a brief laugh herself. “That would have been a hard ‘no’ for me.”

 

“Same!” Kara said emphatically. “Just so we’re both clear on that. So, what was the other theory?”

 

“That one’s the most painful one,” Lena said, her face falling as it was her turn to focus in on the distance between their hands. “So much so that I’m almost afraid to ask whether or not it’s true.”

 

Kara’s heartbeat doubled it’s efforts even as it ached.

 

“I’m afraid now too,” she said, honestly. “But it sounds like you should definitely ask it if it's that painful for you. I’d understand if it was something that made you never want to speak to me again.”

 

“I guess you’re right,” Lena said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before locking on to Kara’s gaze to hear the truth. “Kara… are you a spy? Sent from my mother to learn my secrets?”

 

Kara couldn’t speak at first.

 

That was it? Lena’s biggest fear was the furthest thing from the truth. It wasn’t Supergirl. It was more betrayal from Lillian.

 

“Oh, God, Lena no!” Kara said, closing the distance between their hands and taking Lena’s in her own without another thought. “No, it’s nothing like that. There is nothing about me that ever wants to hurt you; that would ever betray you like that with your family. Never.”

 

“God, you have no idea how much of a relief that is,” Lena said, squeezing the hand in her own. “Then, whatever it is, it couldn’t possibly change the way I feel about you, Kara. You take as much time as you need to tell me but please don’t be afraid anymore.”

 

“I’ll certainly try,” Kara said, smiling once more; no plans to let go of.

 

“So, um, while we’re still in this interim period, what are the rules?” Lena asked, looking at their hands.

 

“Rules?” Kara countered, confused.

 

“Yes well, the physical rules,” her fingers intertwined with Kara’s as she continued. “Saturday you were adamant about the fact that you wanted me to continue hugging you and it looks now as if you’re comfortable with me holding your hand. What are the parameters here? I like guardrails, so I know I don’t overstep any boundaries.”

 

“Oh, um,” Kara had to think for a moment. Lena was, once again, giving her all of the power in the situation. “I guess maybe anything we would normally do as friends is fair game.”

 

“That makes sense,” Lena agreed with a nod of her head. “So, taking your arm as we walk should be fine. I do that often.”

 

“Yep,” Kara nodded as well. “And all those errant touches. Those are good too.”

 

“You also held me on the couch that one time so I would assume it’s alright that I reciprocate.”

 

“Definitely,” Kara agreed, her brain starting to go down a path that was veering from the conversation at hand. “The way you bite your lip sure doesn’t have to stop either.”

 

It was Lena’s somewhat surprised look that let her know she’d just admitted something she hadn’t meant to. And, of course, Lena wouldn’t allow her to think she was alone in that.

 

“Yes, you too,” she said, her eyes seemingly growing darker. “And don’t you ever stop nervously playing with your glasses when I step into your personal space.”

 

_ Oh my God, we’re doing this. We’re talking to each other about what we… we like. _

 

“Um, you also tend to move your eyes over me when you do that,” Kara said, lust taking over her normally nervous nature. “I don’t want that to stop either.”

 

“Mmm, I think I can accommodate that,” Lena said before switching tactics. “Though, there is something I would like to amend regarding the way you sometimes react to me.”

 

In a move that covered nearly every one of Kara’s confessed turn-on’s Lena let go of the hand she was holding to place it back against the seat, behind Kara’s head. She then slid closer so that their sides were touching and raked her teeth over her bottom lip just as her eyes ran down and then back up Kara’s body.

 

Cue the glasses adjusting and nervous speech pattern. 

 

“And, um, what would… what would that be,” she asked, eyes glued to Lena’s lips. 

 

“That you remember to breathe when I’m doing these things to you,” Lena said she raised her free hand to gently sweep a rogue lock of hair behind Kara’s ear.

 

“I would, but it's not really a voluntary thing,” Kara replied, trying desperately not to close the distance between their lips. 

 

The halt of the car and the sound of Sam’s door opening alerted them to the fact that they’d arrived. Lena begrudgingly moved back to her seat so he wouldn’t see them like that when he opened the door.

 

“Here we are ladies,” Sam said as he opened the door.

 

“Thank you, Sam,” Kara said as she exited the vehicle and waited for Lena.

 

“Yes, thank you, Sam,” she said, taking her place next to Kara... along with the blondes strong arm.

 

* * *

 

“Kara, you are moving way too fast and you know it,” Alex said, beer in hand as she watched Kara straighten up the apartment at Super speed right after spilling the beans about not only what happened with Lena at the party but also what happened earlier before she went down that odd, culty rabbit hole with Coville.

 

“No, I’m not. I clean this way all the time,” she said, slowing down to light the candles with her eyes.  _ That _ she did slowly after the great futon fire of ‘08.

 

“I don’t think she’s talking about the cleaning, Little Danvers,” Maggie said, pouring herself a glass of wine and sidling up next to Alex.

 

“I’m not,” Alex confirmed. “I haven’t even gotten approval from J’onn yet on you revealing your identity and you’re holding hands with her in Limos and making not-so-veiled references regarding what you like about each other. I mean, you might as well be making out with her on the balcony, where this all started.”

 

“Do you really think that’s the way to go?” Kara asked genuinely.

 

“No!” Sanvers answered in stereo.

 

“Kara,” Maggie said, holding Alex back a bit and taking the reins on this one. “I know she didn’t list you being Supergirl as one of the two absolute worst things that could happen but that doesn’t mean proceeding with her sexually isn’t incredibly deceptive. I mean, I know there are like a hundred rom-coms based solely this very premise but real life doesn’t always turn out all Cinderella with the glass slipper in the end. Lena could end up feeling really betrayed.”

 

“Ha! I’ve thought of that,” Kara said, moving over to the kitchen and tossing a bag of popcorn into the microwave. “It’s not really that deceptive if she’s in love with Supergirl too. I just have to spend more time with her as Supergirl. You know, show her my human side.”

 

“You mean Kara Danvers?” Alex asked the obvious. “You don’t think that Supergirl softening up around her will remind her of you in a heartbeat?”

 

“Not  _ that _ human,” Kara said, leaning against the counter and crossing her arms. “Just more accessible. I can still use the stern voice and the stiff stance; remember not to fidget. Plus I’ll try to only visit her at night, when it’s dark and harder to see my face.”

 

“And you think-” Alex started to speak but was cut off by both Maggie’s words and her hand on her shoulder.

 

“Hon, I got this,” she said, taking a deep breath. “Kara, is there anything we can say that will talk you out of this incredibly reckless and impulsive plan led by your heart and your hormones?”

 

Kara thought for a brief second before smiling and answering, “Probably not.”

 

“Case closed,” Maggie said before clapping Alex on the back. “Drink up, babe.”

 

A knock at the door alerted them to the arrival of their guests and Kara walked over to open it.

 

“Lena, Sam, hi!” she said with a bright smile as she opened the door wider and helped them with their supplies. “Come on in.”

 

“We brought whiskey and red wine,” Sam said handing over the bag of booze. “Plus pizza and potstickers which Lena said was your favorite combination, Kara.”

 

“Everyone loves pizza and potstickers,” Kara said, taking the pizza boxes from Lena and smiling at her thoughtfulness. “They just don’t know they like them together.”

 

“Man, she is really pushing those metaphors,” Kara overheard Maggie whisper to Alex before pushing off the counter and greeting the newcomers. “Lena, I promise I will be in better spirits tonight than I was at the wedding shower.”

 

“Don’t you dare even think of it,” Lena said, entering into the hug Maggie offered and pulling back. “If anyone can understand family trauma, it’s a Luthor. Luckily I’ve managed to land a few friends to keep me company while I do that. Maggie Sawyer and Alex Danvers, this is Samantha Arias.”

 

“It’s nice to meet you, Samantha,” Maggie said, offering her hand to Sam as Alex hugged Lena hello.

 

Kara watched the greetings and started to prepare the drinks. 

 

“What’ll it be, ladies?” she asked.

 

“Um, I’ll have the wine to start,” Sam answered. 

 

“And I’ll have the whiskey, please,” Lena said, looking at her a little too long after the reply then turning her attention back to the group.

 

Her hair was down and her features were relaxed. Kara didn’t see her like this as often as she liked. She sometimes felt Lena’s hair was an extension of her mood. When it was up, or perfectly straightened, it was as if it was done so to keep her in line with her own image of herself as a cold and calculated businesswoman. She was more relaxed when it was just the two of them. And the only time she’d ever seen Lena let go and break down was after Jack died and that was a big deal for her.

 

She decided she liked seeing her more relaxed without the tears.

 

After a few rounds of drinks and food, the group congregated in the living area, around the coffee table and started discussing Kara’s investigative trip to The Cult of Rao. Then, Lena remembered a somewhat awkward dinner with a famous suitor.

 

“So, this very famous world leader, who I shall not name, invites me to dinner at The Baldwin where he’s staying, right?” she explained, motioning just a little tipsily with her hands. “So, we get there and he tells me he has this very important question he has to ask me and I’m thinking ‘Okay, well he’s going to invite me up to his room’. So, I’m considering my answer, when he turns around and asks me… if I was baptized.” 

 

“What?” Sam asked.

 

“No!” Kara exclaimed.

 

“Yes, yes,” Lena continued. “So, I just burst out laughing and said no but, apparently, he only sleeps with good Catholics.”

 

“That’s insane,” Maggie commented. 

 

“Well, actually I found it kind of attractive that he believed in something so, there’s always that,” Lena said, taking a sip from her wine and looking at Kara over the rim.

 

Kara wondered what she was thinking at that moment and stored it away for later before Sam started to speak.

 

“What about you, Kara, are you seeing anyone?”

 

“Oh… I uh.”

 

She didn’t actually know how to answer that question. Obviously, she wasn’t technically seeing anyone but she wanted to be. And the person she wanted to be seeing was sitting right across from her, looking at her just as curiously as Sam was.

 

“You know what?” Alex interrupted, saving her. “I’ve got an idea. Why don’t we play a game? You know, one of those drinking games where we learn more about each other. There was one I used to play in college where you say something and everyone has to drink if they’ve done that thing…”

 

“Never have I ever?” Maggie asked.

 

“Yes! That one. What do you guys think?” Alex asked.

 

“I think I’d better grab that wine bottle,” Lena said with a feisty smile as she got up to do just that and sat back down.

 

“Perfect, Sam, you can start since you’re new," Alex instructed. “What do you want to know about the room.”

 

“Hmmm. Okay,” Sam said. “So, if I say ‘Never have I ever been engaged’, then you two would have to drink, right?”

 

“Right, but come up with something a little juicier than that,” Maggie said with a wink.

 

“Alright,” Sam replied with a smile as she looked up and thought. “Never, have I ever, had a one night stand.”

 

Lena and Maggie both drank for that one.

 

“Of course you have, babe,” Alex said with a nudge to Maggie. “Kara, your turn.”

 

“Right, Okay.”

 

The truth was, Kara was just as uncomfortable with this game as she was with the question posed before but they all seemed to be stuck in it.

 

“Um, never, have I ever, kissed someone without knowing their first name beforehand,” she said, noting Lena and Maggie both drank for that one as well. This time Sam was added to the mix.

 

“Sweet, innocent little Danvers sisters,” Maggie joked, nudging Alex this time.

 

“Hey, we can’t help that we’re selective,” Alex said before giving her a playful swat on the arm and thinking of her question. “Ooo! I’ve got one. Never, have I ever, gotten to fly with Supergirl!”

 

Alex drank to that one and Lena did as well.

 

“It still counts if she’s more or less catching you and then flying you to safety, right?” the CEO asked with a chuckle as she put her drink down and accepted Alex’s nod of approval.

 

“God, she is just amazing, isn’t she?” Sam asked, admiration shining from her face. “What’s she like in person? You all know her pretty well, right?”

 

“Well, as much as anyone can know her,” Alex said, mostly for herself. “She’s everything you think she is. Good, kind, brave…”

 

“Selfless, mysterious, gorgeous,” Lena added offhandedly.

 

“Gorgeous, huh?” Kara smirked and gently tapped Lena’s foot with her own beneath the table before looking directly at Alex. “Hear that. Lena thinks your little pet Superhero is attractive.”

 

“Oh, come on, everyone thinks Supergirl’s cute,” Alex replied with an adoring look to her sister.

 

“Not Kara,” Lena said.

 

“What?” Sam asked as she looked at Kara, confused.

 

“Yeah, she’s not a fan of SuperDanvers,” Lena joked, looking right at Kara as  _ she  _ instigated  the foot nudging.

 

“What’s SuperDanvers?” Sam asked.

 

“Oh my God, Lena, hand me that wine,” Maggie said with an eye roll as she reached for the wine to refill her glass. “It’s this little world that surrounds Supergirl and literally anyone who has so much as talked to her. Anyway, all these kids on Tumblr start pairing them up in what they call ‘ships’, short for relationships, and then they write full-length novels and paint monolithic pictures about their sex lives. It’s insane.”

 

“Oh really?” Kara asked. “I’m bumping the line. Never, have I ever, read Sanvers fanfiction.”

 

“Well, I should certainly hope not,” Alex said before looking to Maggie and noticing she was drinking. “Oh my god! You’ve read Sanvers fanfiction?”

 

“I go on lots of stakeouts!” Maggie defended herself. “You know how much sitting and doing nothing those involve. I have to keep myself from falling asleep somehow… And you should probably read them here and there too. Just to see what people think about you.”

 

“Why? What do they think about me?” Alex asked.

 

“That you’re a bottom with a praise kink,” Maggie answered, drinking again.

 

“What?” Lena asked.

 

“Oh my god!” Sam exclaimed, covering her mouth as she laughed.

 

“What’s a praise kink?” Kara asked.

 

“Anyway, it’s  _ my _   turn,” Maggie said. “Never, have I ever, been with a woman.”

 

Everyone in the room drank for that one… except for Kara. Lena’s eyes on her the entire time.

 

“Oh, really, Samantha?” Maggie asked, jokingly. “You just got more interesting.”

 

“Hey, just because a man helped me make Ruby doesn’t mean I don’t like women too.” 

 

“Fair point,” Alex agreed. “Lena, it’s your turn.”

 

“Well, I guess the obvious follow up to that one is ‘never, have I ever,’ slept with a man.”

 

Both Maggie and Kara abstained that time.

 

“Wait, Kara? Really?” Maggie asked and Kara nodded. “But I thought you and James had…”

 

“No,” Kara said before taking in a deep breath, unable to look at Lena quite yet so she focused on Maggie and the question. “No, we didn’t exactly have time to make that ship sail. The relationship was pretty much over before it started.”

 

“But that means you never…” Sam tried to find the most polite way to ask the very delicate question that was already coming out of her mouth without her permission. “... I just mean you’re a beautiful woman who’s driven and funny and sweet. How did you fight off the guys in college?”

 

“Oh, I’m deceptively strong,” Kara answered quite honestly. “And I did. Have to fight off a few guys in college, I mean. And that kind of turned me off to that particular demographic in general. Then I figured I’d meet someone out in the real world and I have dated some really great guys but we just didn’t match up. I could feel it. And I’m fine waiting for someone who not only fits but, well, makes me look like those to dorks over there.”

 

She pointed toward Alex and Maggie who immediately ‘Awed and kissed’ before deciding one round of Never Have I Ever was enough and they should stop before they got into trouble. The wine ran out and the party wound down after another hour of conversation. Sam talked about Ruby and the entire room made their pledge to be cool aunts. Alex and Maggie talked about their wedding plans and insisted Sam be there with Ruby at her side.

 

Lena, however, was noticeably more quiet as the evening went on. Which, of course, worried Kara. Her mind went back to the question of her sexual past, or lack thereof, and she wondered if Lena found it strange. Or if, even worse, she was turned off by the idea of being with someone not only inexperienced when it came to sex with women, but inexperienced when it came to sex in general. This wasn’t the way she would have preferred her to find out.

 

But the cat was out of the bag now. Nothing she could do about it. 

 

Kara hugged Maggie and Alex goodbye then waited to do the same with Lena and Sam but Lena stayed next to her.

 

“Sam, I’m going to stay back and help Kara clean up but I know you’ve got to get back to Ruby so I’ve called my driver to come round and pick you up,” Lena said before reaching out and hugging Sam goodbye.

 

“Lena, you don’t have to-” Kara started but was cut off.

 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Sam, be safe.”

 

“Bye Lena,” Sam said with a smile before hugging Kara. “Bye Kara. Thank you so much for letting me into your home and your friend group.”

 

“You make an excellent addition,” Kara said before letting go. “Take care, Sam.”

 

After closing the door Kara paused for a moment to take a breath then turned to face Lena who, true to her word, was helping to clean up by collecting the wine glasses from the table. She broke the brief silence as she took them to the kitchen to wash them out in the sink.

 

“I would imagine that was a revelation you would rather have experienced one-on-one,” she said with one of those knowing smiles, the one that lived in her eyes more than her lips, that told Kara that, no matter where the conversation went, Lena would walk her through it safely. 

 

So often it was Kara taking care of others, that it felt so incredibly refreshing when someone had a legitimate way to take care of her.

 

“You got that right,” Kara said, returning Lena’s smile while breaking down pizza boxes for the recycling bin. “We’re alone now, though. Would you like to talk about it?”

 

“I’ll talk about anything you want to talk about, Kara,” Lena said, placing the wine glasses on the rack as she finished rinsing them. “I revealed quite a few things about myself this evening too. The question is, what would you like to talk about?”

 

She was right, as usual, Lena had revealed quite a few things Kara was curious about. But, the big reveal was the one she wanted to get out of the way.

 

“I guess I’d like to start with my own personal choices,” she said, in lieu of the word ‘virginity’, voice strong and confident. “I’m not ashamed of them.”

 

“Nor should you be,” Lena interjected as if she wanted to ensure that they were both on the same page about everything. “Just as much as you shouldn’t be had you chosen to take pleasure with every member of each one of those frat houses.”

 

And they  _ were  _ on the same page. They both understood that a woman’s right to the agency of her body should be respected no matter her choices. Kara smiled in solidarity with Lena, enjoying the fact that she needn’t worry about the judgment that so often came with men over issues like these.

 

“I’m glad we’re on the same page there,” she said, moving closer once she finished the pizza boxes, waiting for Lena to finish the last wine glass.

 

“Me too,” Lena replied, placing the glass in the tray before drying her hands and leaning against the counter to address Kara more directly. “Now, since we’re both proud of you taking control over the choices regarding your body, would you like to tell me what brought on your nervous fidgeting after the issue was broached? Because, as much as I do enjoy watching you squirm in some ways, in other, more valiant ways, I worry when I think you might be truly uncomfortable.”

 

This woman saw every, single inch of who she was as Kara Danvers. How was it possible she still didn’t know her as Supergirl?

 

Kara’s eyes faltered as she tried to explain her worry over the situation.

 

“Well,” she said, adjusting her non-performative glasses. “As I’m sure you’re probably aware, at some point, I certainly hope to be with someone in that capacity and first times are usually not that great for anyone who attempts them. I wasn’t good at pool during my first game with Alex, my first article for CatCo, about you, was rejected because I was biased and… I mean, it just seems inevitable that my first time trying to… please someone would likely be sub-par. And that’s definitely not what I would want for...  _ someone. _ ”

 

When she finally looked back up into those gorgeous green crystals Lena had for eyes, she knew that they both absolutely knew who this ‘someone’ she continued to needlessly reference was. Lena let her live in the silence for the full length of a moment, as if she were trying to plan out how she might respond, then, without a word, she walked away from Kara and picked up her phone from the table. Her thumbs traveled seamlessly across the glass surface before she’d obviously found what she wanted and the soft sounds of a familiar song started to play over the speakers.

 

_ My lover’s got humor _

_ She’s a giggle at a funeral _

 

“Now,” Lena stated, placing her phone on the counter and drawing closer. “I know that we’ve never danced together before, and that our rule for touching each other is that we can only do things we’ve done prior to my admission, but can we both agree on the fact that, if I’d asked you to dance with me a week ago, you would likely have said yes?”

 

Kara smiled again, brighter this time, before answering.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Will you dance with me now, Kara Danvers?” Lena asked, her head tilted down in that way that her eyes looked up in deference, stealing any onlooker’s heart post haste.

 

“Absolutely,” Kara replied, stepping closer.

 

_ I should've worshipped her sooner _ _   
_ _ If the Heavens ever did speak _ _   
_ __ She is the last true mouthpiece

 

Her hands knew where to go immediately. They reached first for Lena’s hips and then slowly slid around to her lower back. Just as Lena’s hands reached up. One burying itself in the back of her hair, while the other clung softly to her back. 

 

_ The only heaven I'll be sent to _ _   
_ _ Is when I'm alone with you _

 

“Now,” Lena said as they began to move together slowly, not an inch of air passing through. “As I pointed out earlier, we’ve never done this before and it certainly feels good to me. Does it feel good to you?”

 

_ Good? Good is an understatement. I can barely breathe with you moving against me like this and your cheek against mine and your breath brushing over my ear. _

 

“Yes,” Kara decided to answer simply instead. “But I’ve done this with other people before.”

 

“Really?” Lena asked, running her nails lightly over Kara’s scalp. “You’ve done  _ this _ with other people before?”

 

And, when she thought deeper into it, Kara realized she certainly hadn’t done _this_ before. She'd danced with other people before, sure. But it never felt like this. Her breathing was deep and heavy, her hands clutched at Lena’s body as if it were a lifeline, and her knees were weak enough to make certain very intimate decisions for her.

 

_ Take me to church _ _   
_ _ I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies _ _   
_ _ I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife _ _   
_ _ Offer me that deathless death _ _   
_ __ Good God, let me give you my life

 

“No,” she huffed out against the skin of Lena’s neck. “No, I’ve definitely never done this before.”

 

“That’s nice to know because I haven’t either,” Lena said softly. “I’ve never simply held someone I wanted so desperately and still felt completely and utterly fulfilled. I’ve never craved someone’s hands on me so much and dismissed that craving because I was so taken aback by the way they touch my soul. But, on a far more selfish note, and one I’ll only ever admit to you due it’s archaic and patriarchal nature, I’ve never been given the opportunity to take someone for the first time. Yet it arouses me to no end when I think about looking into your eyes when I do just that. It’ll be a first for both of us and I have a feeling we’ll do just fine.”

 

_ If I'm a pagan of the good times _ _   
_ _ My lover's the sunlight _ _   
_ _ To keep the Goddess on my side _ _   
_ __ She demands a sacrifice

 

“Are you afraid?” Kara asked, though fear wasn’t exactly what she was feeling at that moment. No, at that moment she was trying to restrain her hands from ripping away that blouse that kept them from Lena’s body.

 

“What is it the good Catholic’s say?” Lena asked, calling back to their previous discussion that night. “I fear no evil, for thou art with me?”

 

She pulled back a bit to look into Kara’s eyes, her own green ones filled with anything but The Bible, as her thumb stroked a line down from Kara’s ear to her clavicle. 

 

“Let the rest of National City worship Supergirl,” Lena said, bring her hand back up the expanse of Kara’s neck to cup her face, that sinful thumb coming dangerously close to her lips. “There’s only one person I’ve met in all the world that could bring me to my knees. And it’s you, Kara.”

 

_ No masters or kings when the ritual begins _ _   
_ _ There is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin _ _   
_ _ In the madness and soil of that sad earthly scene _ _   
_ _ Only then I am human _ _   
_ _ Only then I am clean _ _   
_ __ Amen, Amen, Amen

 

She’d picked the song intentionally. Maybe because she could tell that Kara was bothered by Supergirl’s godly status, maybe because Lena had made mention that she was attracted to Supergirl, maybe because Lena listened and genuinely took an interest in what was going on in Kara’s life. She didn’t know the reason and it didn’t really matter because, at that particular moment, all Kara could think about was what it was going to take to not lean in and kiss Lena Luthor.

 

“Lena, I…” Kara stuttered.

 

What was she supposed to say? Part of her wanted to just blurt out that she was Supergirl and roll the dice but, another part of her was terrified that, with that revelation, all this could end. And  _ this _ felt  _ so  _ good. She decided to go back to basics and just say how she felt.

 

“I feel like I’m going to explode if I don’t kiss you and I can’t do that just yet,” she was surprised at the fact she was wearing a smile when she said the words but took it as a good thing. Smiles were normally a good sign. And so many of them appeared when she was near Lena.

 

“Then that’s probably my cue to leave,” Lena said, chuckling before moving in to turn the slow sway of their ‘dance’ into more of an embrace.

 

“No,” Kara pled, holding on tight. “No, please, not yet. Just finish out this song with me and then I’ll walk you down to the car once Sam gets here.”

 

“If it be your will,” Lena joked into her ear. She could feel the smile on her lips.

 

They danced for three more songs before Lena finally called for the car.

 

* * *

 

It had been a long week.

 

Between all the mergers, all the CatCo and all the Kara, Lena was exhausted. She’d just finished reading over Kara’s latest article regarding the Cult of Roa and adding her notes to it. She’d only asked to read it before publication but Kara was apparently very open to feedback. There wasn’t much Lena had to add. The article was good. Obviously sad, but good. So, after sending it out with only a “<3” in the body of the email, she packed her laptop away and started to walk through the door when she noticed something red and blue out of the corner of her eye.

 

It was Supergirl, perched on the CatCo balcony. With a curious look and purposeful steps, Lena placed her bag back on the couch and walked outside.

 

“Supergirl? Everything alright?” she asked as she drew closer.

 

“Oh, yes, sorry to bother you Miss Luthor,” she said, all business, as usual. “I thought I heard you leaving so I decided to drop down onto the balcony. It’s something of an old habit of mine but I’ll leave you be.”

 

“No, wait,” Lena said, grabbing her arm as she started to float, then pulling her back down. “You’re always welcome on any of my balconies. Please don’t leave on my account.”

 

“Thank you,” she replied, looking at the hold Lena still had on her arm until it was removed. 

 

“Oh, right,” Lena replied with a laugh as she backed away. “Did you used to do this when Cat was still here?”

 

“That’s actually how it started,” Supergirl said, looking out at the stars, that strong and perfect neckline doing things to Lena that she’d rather not think about. “At first I started coming to Cat to update her on the monster of the week so she’d ensure everything was reported on correctly but, after a while, she was able to dig her way in and get me to talk about how I actually felt about said monsters.”

 

“Well, she Cat become the Queen of all Media by letting people get away from her inquisitive nature,” Lena noted, leaning against the balcony as well though a bit farther away than she would with most people. She found that she sometimes needed to treat Supergirl like a deer; try not to spook her, lest she run, or fly, away. “So, you found comfort in her and this balcony reminds you of that.”

 

“Yes,” the hero admitted.

 

“Well, while I’m no Cat Grant, I have been known to lend a kind ear to a friend here and there. And I’d have to lend you about a thousand to repay you for all the times you’ve saved me,” she looked over hopefully as she spoke. “Care to tell me what’s bothering you, Supergirl?”

 

“It’s the Cult of Rao,” she finally said. “Coville twisted Rao’s teachings toward a different purpose and that’s upsetting. It’s even more upsetting that his purpose was me. But, on top of all of it, hearing the words of my people, of our religion, it made me remember how alone I truly am in this world. I believe the heart of what’s bothering me is that I am one of the few followers left of a dying religion and my distance from it is only serving to further snuff it out.”

 

Lena felt her face fall as she listened to Supergirl detail her lamentation. She chose to carry so much responsibility on her shoulders and here she was, piling on more. A responsibility Lena couldn’t possibly help her shoulder… Or could she?

 

“If you were to try to worship here and now, with no leader to guide you, how would you go about that?” she asked.

 

Supergirl seemed to think for a moment before speaking.

 

“Well, I suppose I would light a candle and recite one of the prayers,” she explained. “But we normally don’t do that alone. It’s communal, a way for us to connect to each other.”

 

It was Lena’s turn to pause for a moment before holding up a finger and walking away.

 

“Hold that thought,” she said as she stepped inside to pick up a notepad, a pen and, conveniently, a candle with matches. “If you were to ask me why James Olsen has a lavender scented candle hiding in his desk I’d be hard pressed to think of a reason so let’s pretend you didn’t see that.”

 

Handing over the pad and paper, she continued.

 

“Now, since I don’t know any Kryptonian prayers, I’ll need a little help. Why don’t you write one down while I light up our little secret?”

 

Supergirl had the prayer written in the time it took for Lena to light the candle and held out the pad to switch.

 

“Oh, right, I’d somehow forgotten about your Super speed. I’m surprised the page isn’t as hot as the candle. Anyway, let’s give this a shot,” she said, holding the pad and giving the candle to Supergirl. “You lead, I’ll follow.”

 

“But, you don’t believe in Rao,” the Kryptonian said.

 

“I haven’t always believed in Supergirl, either,” Lena stated honestly. “Sometimes exposure can be enough to strike the spark of faith. Now, say your prayers, Supergirl.”

 

Then formed the biggest smile she’d ever gotten out of Supergirl as she looked into the candle and spoke.

 

“That’s the type of line most people would expect a Luthor to say to a Kryptonian,” she said. “I doubt they’d understand the context.”

 

“Well, that’s their loss, isn’t it?” Lena said before going all business. “Now, stop stalling and get to it.”

 

And there, on the largest balcony at CatCo, Lena Luthor played savior for a long believed lost part of Supergirl.

  
  



	5. Right Hand Woman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually really liked this episode so I'm changing up the format juuuuust a bit for this chapter. Damage ends with that ridiculously cheesy scene where Kara and Sam say something about being Lena's sister and, I'm sorry, but you don't look at your sister the way Lena looks at either of them. Especially Kara. 
> 
> I also had a problem with the fact that NO ONE asked Lena how she got on that plane, which is what most of this chapter is about. Also, James sucked but I don't really care to address his anti-Luthor sentiment in general. 
> 
> Anyway, the point is, this chapter starts right after Kara saves Lena from the plane crash. She leaves for a bit to have that scene with Edge where she can't kill him and then comes back, but basically, I'm cutting the scene where all that sister talk takes place. I hope you like it. 
> 
> The next Chapter takes place during the episode of the Sanvers break-up and, as you know, there is no Sanvers break-up in this world so I'll have a completely original story for that chapter.
> 
> It's also likely the one you've all been waiting for. Time to start earning that E rating.
> 
> I hope you enjoy. :)

“Alright, Lena,” Alex said from the confines of the med van, pulling the stethoscope out of her ears and settling it around her neck. “BP’s normal, heart rate’s normal and, aside from a few bumps and bruises, it looks like you survived a plane crash without any exterior damage. You are one lucky Luthor.”

 

Just a short while earlier, Supergirl had touched down with both the chemicals and the CEO on one of the DEO’s private landing strips. Alex, along with a containment team, had been waiting there to intercept and take care of Lena. She should have been elated to have survived her encounter with Edge’s ‘undivided attention’ but she couldn’t help thinking of the way Supergirl had left.

 

After they’d touched down, she hadn’t said a word to Lena. Only Alex.

 

_ “Check her for atmospheric pressure damage and handcuff her to the van if you have to in order to keep her here,” she ordered with a fury Lena had never witnessed in the hero before. “I don’t want her out of your sight until I get back to take her home, where I want agents posted at every exit.” _

 

_ Lena opened her mouth to protest but Supergirl was gone before the first syllable had left her lips. _

 

“I think we both know this had less to do with luck and more to do with a Kryptonian, Agent Danvers,” she corrected Alex.

 

“Wow! Agent Danvers, huh?” Alex said, taken aback. “Lena I probably know more about your sexual past than most of the population. And you know that kids on Tumblr think I’m a bottom with a praise kink. How did we go back to ‘Agent Danvers’ so quickly? It was Supergirl who gave you the cold shoulder out there, not me.”

 

Taking a deep breath, Lena pulled her hair out of the messy ponytail and ran her hands through it in utter defeat.

 

“You’re right,” she said with a shake of her head. “I’m sorry it’s just… This has probably been the worst day of my life and all I seem to be capable of doing is making it worse.”

 

Taking a seat on the bench across from the stretcher where Lena sat, Alex tried to comfort the broken woman before her.

 

“Lena, you were just falsely accused of poisoning children,” she said, allowing the weight of the statement to settle over them both for a moment before continuing. “You’ve had multiple attempts on your life and one of them very nearly killed you. I’m sure it didn’t help to have an angry superhero holding you hostage after all that. You just need to give her a little time.”

 

“It’s not just her though, Alex,” Lena said, tears misting over her eyes as she looked away to try to halt them. “I was horrible to Kara and Sam as well and all they did was try to help me. Hell! They didn’t even just try. They succeeded. They were the ones who cracked the case and saved my name while I was drinking myself into a self-indulgent stupor. Supergirl has every right to be angry with me. They all do. Honestly, they’d all be better off without me around because the next bullet with my name on it might not simply graze James Olsen.”

 

It was then that Alex looked at her curiously. 

 

“Funny, I thought you were a genius,” she said.

 

Lena’s eyes widened and back straightened immediately as her ego bristled.

 

“I beg your pardon?” she asked.

 

“Well, you’re supposed to be a genius but you seem to have made the same mistake at least three times in the same day.”

 

“And what mistake might that be, Agent Danvers?” Lena asked, crossing her arms. 

 

“Great, right back to ‘Agent Danvers’,” she said, leaning back and crossing her own arms. “As soon as you heard the news that Edge put out there, you believed him over your friends who kept telling you that you didn’t do this. Seemingly, all because you’re afraid that one day you really will live up to your namesake. Then, your friends try to comfort you in your darkest hour and tell you they believe in you and you push them away because, once again, you refuse to see what they see. And now you’re wallowing in your self-loathing yet again just because Supergirl is throwing a temper tantrum that may not even have anything to do with you. Shouldn’t you have learned a lesson about friendship by now?”

 

“I…” 

 

Lena tried to argue but Alex’s logic actually did make quite a lot of sense. So, swallowing crow once more that day, she replied.

 

“This is my first rodeo when it comes to friendship this serious. There’s bound to be a learning curve.”

 

“Fair enough,” Alex said before leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees. “But something I’ve learned in the past is that the more you allow yourself to give in to your fears, the more you manifest them. Your biggest fear seems to be turning out like your family when you have shown time and time again you are  _ nothing _ like them at the core of who you are. Why not just try being that person instead of constantly trying to prove to the rest of the world that you are that person? It seems like a lot less work.”

 

The tears that had been gathering in Lena’s eyes finally fell and she wiped at her eyes quickly to catch the subsequent proof of her weakness. Alex had read her like a book. She couldn’t deny anything she’d just said.

 

“You’re quite perceptive, aren’t you?” she asked.

 

“Reading people is kind of a big part of my job,” Alex replied, handing Lena a tissue. “And I’m reading nothing but good in you, Lena.”

 

Dabbing her eyes and sighing deeply, Lena simply nodded and accepted the kindness.

 

“Thank you, Alex.”

 

“You’re welcome,” Alex said, smiling as she drew closer and placed a hand on the CEO’s shoulder. “And Lena?”

 

“Yes?” 

 

“This is the nice version of me,” she said, still smiling, making her words all the more sinister. “If you think that Kryptonian is scary when she’s mad, you don’t even want to dream of dealing with me when I’m mad. And do you know what will make me mad?”

 

Oh… They were having the talk.

 

“I would imagine hurting your sister might ruffle your feathers,” Lena said.

 

“I will pick your eyeballs from your skull like a vulture if you do that,” she said, still smiling as she pulled back and approached the door to the van. “I’m gonna get some fresh air now and let you have a little rest.”

 

It was par for the course for that day.

 

* * *

 

 

Rage and fury burned raw as Kryptonite in Supergirl’s veins as she touched back down at the landing site and marched straight toward the med van. Alex was talking to one of the containment workers and pointing toward the recovery van which meant Lena was likely doing just fine.

 

Good. She wanted her in perfect health so that she might survive the tongue lashing she was about to receive. Kara Danvers might allow her to drink her way right into martyrdom but Supergirl wouldn’t.

 

“Woah, whoa, whoa,” Alex said, grabbing the hand that reached out for the door of the van. “Ease up, killer. Let’s have a talk before you go barging in there saying something you might later regret.”

 

The tug of her arm out of Alex’s hand let the agent know her state of mind wasn’t up for discussion but Alex persisted, placing a hand this time gently on her shoulder.

 

“Just because you couldn’t do what you wanted to Edge does not mean you need to turn all that anger toward Lena,” Alex said, softly but sternly, causing Kara to stop.

 

“She has no idea how many people could have died because she couldn’t stay put,” Supergirl said, looking at the van door.

 

“She knows damn well how many lives could have been lost,” Alex countered. “That’s why she asked you to leave her to die. Whatever went on in your head after that was up to you but this is  _ all  _ on Edge.”

 

“I don’t understand why you’re being so protective,” Supergirl replied, holding her arms out in frustration. “You know I’m not going to hurt her.”

 

“Supergirl, you could hurt her without moving a muscle right now. That look on your face is going to tell her everything you’re feeling. Just…” Alex paused to pull her hand back and breathe before getting out of the way. “Just remember that she was trying to do the right thing.”

 

“Really?” Supergirl asked, crossing her arms. “Then how’d she get on that plane in the first place?”

 

Alex quirked her head to the side curiously, realizing Kara knew something she didn’t. Apparently, she’d find out what that was later because the swift opening of the med van door alerted her to the fact that there would be no more discussion between the two of them at that moment. 

 

“Would you like Alex to get you a car or would you like me to fly you back to your apartment?” she asked Lena. No greeting. No inquiry into how she was.

 

“Supergirl, I’m perfectly capable of calling-” Lena said, standing to exit the vehicle before she was cut off.

 

“This isn’t a discussion,” Supergirl informed her. “You’ll get in one of the government cars or I’ll take matters, and you, into my own hands. Is that clear?”

 

The look that came over Lena’s face at that moment was one she’d never experienced before as Kara nor Supergirl. There was rage present in her chin, jutting out in defiance. Frustration in the teeth that were clenched as if in a vice grip. But her eyes… they were an altogether different matter. Fire was there for sure but it wasn’t necessarily angry. They stared at each other, in some kind of standoff, that seemed to last hours but it likely took only a moment for Lena to brush past her and deliver her answer.

 

“I’ll take a fucking car.”

 

The words were soft, measured, clear and concise. It was the expletive that made them razor sharp. And that was fine. Lena could sharpen all the barbs she wanted for their showdown. Supergirl was made of steel.

 

“You heard her, Alex,” she said, looking at Lena’s back; stiff as a board.

 

“Doubt you’ll be getting a statue out of this one,” Alex mumbled as she whistled toward the bank of vehicles across the way.

 

As the car approached both Alex and Lena moved toward it. Alex opened the door then instructed the driver on where to take his precious cargo while Lena sat down inside. Supergirl took to the skies to follow them toward the expensive side of town. 

 

“We’ll be lucky if the building survives,” Alex said with a shake of her head as she continued to supervise the work on the ground.

 

* * *

 

After one of the longest car rides of her life, Lena Luthor stepped out and was escorted up to her own apartment by the agents Supergirl had sent to look after her for the night. She felt as if, at any moment, she might explode on the inside. The elevator ride alone was torture. So many feelings were coursing through her veins at that moment and none of them were the calm she required for the apologies she’d need to make to Sam and Kara. Over the phone, obviously, because she was now being held hostage in her own home.

 

The ding of the elevator alerted her to the fact that they’d reached the penthouse and she exited along with the agents who followed her all the way to her door, like a child. She had to remind herself that they weren’t the ones to blame for her forced incarceration. They were just doing their jobs.

 

“We’ll be right down the hall if you need anything, Miss Luthor,” the more senior looking officer said before offering his card. “And here’s my number, just in case you need it.”

 

“Thank you, Agent,” she looked at the card to get his name. “Howe. I appreciate all you and your team are doing for me.”

 

“You’re welcome, Miss Luthor. Get some rest,” he said before leaving her to enter the apartment.

 

Once inside, she took a deep breath and ran a hand through her long dark hair. And, even though she’d obviously had her fill the night before, she needed a drink. Purposeful steps took her toward the bar in her living room and, as she poured a tumbler of scotch, a flicker of blue and red caught her eye. Just like it had the other night at CatCo. And that could only mean one thing.

 

Supergirl was on her balcony.

 

Lena strode out without a hint of fear and wrenched open the sliding glass door as if it weighed nothing.

 

“Something to say, Supergirl?” She asked, crossing one arm over her stomach and holding her drink up with the other. “It’s not as if I can escape a conversation with you, given you’ve put me under house arrest, so please, let it all out.”

 

“How’d you get on that plane, Lena?” she asked, crossing her arms as well and standing tall.

 

“Oh, come now,” Lena said, tilting her head to the side. “You’re normally so formal when you show up uninvited. ‘Lena’ is who you pray with. ‘Miss Luthor’ should be who you interrogate, don’t you think?”

 

Supergirl didn’t say a word, obviously not about to allow Lena to take an inch of the upper hand. No, she waited patiently for her answer.

 

“You seem to know damn well how I got on that plane,” she said, unwilling to cave just yet.

 

“I want to hear you say it.”

 

“Fine,” Lena said before taking a long sip of scotch and resting the glass on the railing. “I was on that plane because I went to Morgan Edge’s office and one of his men knocked me out.”

 

“And why did you go to Edge’s office?” 

 

“So I could end the life of a man who’d poisoned children,” Lena answered, not a flinch to be seen. “I knew he’d try to do worse, which he did. I knew he’d get away with it, which he has. And I knew he deserved it because I certainly believed I did when I thought those children were dying because of me. But I couldn’t do it. That’s how I ended up on that plane.”

 

“You could have died,” Supergirl said, pointing at the ground and stepping closer.

 

“I was obviously willing to take that risk,” Lena said, unmoving. “Or have you conveniently forgotten that part of our evening together.”

 

“Other people could have died,” Supergirl said, volume increasing as she took another step closer.

 

“Hence the decision I told you to make on the plane,” Lena said, voice steady as her nostrils flared. 

 

“No, you don’t get to put me in that position just because you feel like taking the law into your own hands. You don’t get to turn me into a bystander who allows thousands of people to die!” Supergirl said, furious.

 

“Don’t you dare feign that was ever a possibility,” Lena replied, noticing that space between them was disappearing with each sentence Supergirl spoke. “I gave you permission and even if I hadn’t what’s one life weighed against thousands? You knew what you had to do and you found a way to save me anyway. Don’t act as if the wrong side of the plane would have dropped.”

 

“I’m right-handed, Lena!”

 

If anyone saw them from a nearby window, they would have thought they were two lovers about to kiss. That’s how close they were. 

 

“What?” Lena asked, confusion finally causing the tension to break as she took a step back.

 

“I’m right-handed,” Supergirl said, holding up the hand in question before continuing her explanation. “When I felt the plane break, I had about a quarter of a second to grab both sides. And, though that may not seem like a lot of time for most people, it was enough for me to pivot and grab the chemical portion of the plane with my right hand. But I didn’t. I grabbed your side. And if you hadn’t climbed up it would have been the chemicals that fell first. I chose you before you ever put your life on the line. I chose you over the health and safety of thousands of people and I can. not. make. those. choices. So, you can’t be reckless and leave me to make them.”

 

The silence in the air around them seemed to make it even harder for Lena to take in the breaths that were coming in more quickly than they had before. Her mouth hung agape and her eyes were wide as they took in Supergirl and all she’d just revealed. How in the world had she come to mean so much to her? How could anyone ever look at her and think that her life alone was worth more than the lives of so many others? She was beyond grateful that the events had transpired the way they did but what if she hadn’t cleared the jump? What if her grip had slipped from Supergirl’s arm and the hero had dropped the chemicals to chase her? Lena had nearly thrown her entire life away over the children that had been poisoned, how might she have felt if even more had succumbed to Edge’s evil deeds?

 

She wanted to fight. Wanted to demand that Supergirl never hesitate to save others in place of herself… But that’s why the Kryptonian was so angry. She was explaining to Lena there and then that she genuinely wasn’t capable of it.

 

“How…” she started to speak but didn’t exactly know what she was asking. It took her a few breaths but she finally got there. “How can I mean so much to you? We… We hardly speak if it isn’t in regards to some disaster that’s about to happen. How could you possibly care about me so much that you would… How?”

 

Supergirl Swallowed thickly and looked up at the sky as if it might hold the answer she needed to give Lena. Her arms crossed once more. Walls obviously going back up.

 

“My reasons are my own and they’re not the focus of this conversation,” she said.

 

“You’re talking about betraying everything you are just to save a Luthor,” Lena said, softer than she was speaking before. “I think that warrants at least being part of the conversation.”

 

Supergirl shook her head and dropped her eyes to the ground.

 

“You know, I know that name has all but ruined your life,” Supergirl finally said; she too was softer this time. “I know that it has caused you more pain than Morgan Edge ever could. But you wear it like a shield just as much as much as you curse it. You try to hide behind it whenever someone tries to get close, tries to show you that they see you as so much more than your family. I’ve watched it. You’ve done it to me, you’ve done it to Kara Danvers. I even heard you do it to James Olsen the other day. But the thing is that most people can see right through it if they care enough to simply try. Samantha Arias does, Alex does, Kara obviously does. And I do too. And that’s the reason I grabbed onto you with my right hand. Because the person I’m looking at is someone I can’t let go of.”

 

And just like earlier, her body was filled with feelings that felt as if they might rip her apart. But these were different. Earlier she’d felt anger, rage, and, yes, lust when Supergirl had threatened to fly her to her apartment whether she liked it or not. But now… well, the lust was there but it was accompanied by trepidation, longing and something quite akin to the way she felt about Kara.

 

“You said you heard me with James?” she asked, confused, trying to focus on anything but how special Supergirl obviously thought she was. “How? I didn’t see you there.”

 

Supergirl pointed to her ear with her right hand. 

 

“Super hearing,” she said before putting her hands out in front of her to halt the mortified look that was growing on Lena’s face. “Don’t freak out. I only check in for a few seconds with everyone just to make sure they’re ok when I do my fly-bys. If it makes you feel any better, that time I was actually checking on James. But… I have listened for you specifically before. And, I suppose, the small snippets of your life that I’ve experienced… they’ve endeared me to you. It’s your kindness. The way you treat Tess at CatCo, the way you know your doorman’s name and ask him how his day went, the way you always tip your barista so much that they say ‘wow’ or ‘oh my god’ after you leave. Trust me, I listen to a lot of people, and they don’t always behave as well as you do when they think no one is paying attention. But I’ve never caught you in a bad moment.”

 

“Until today,” Lena said, raising her hand up to her lips as she thought about her meeting with Edge and the tragedy that nearly caused.

 

“Until today,” Supergirl parroted the words before telling her own truth. “But I have no right to judge that because I made the same mistake you did while Alex was cleaning you up.”

 

“You what?” Lena asked, shaking her head.

 

“I went to kill him,” Supergirl answered. “And I failed. And all that anger that was boiling inside me had to go somewhere and… and Alex was right. I shouldn’t have pointed it at you. I’m sorry, Miss Luthor. I should go.”

 

“No, Supergirl, wait,” Lena said, reaching out and holding onto her arm.

 

“No, I’ve said too much and done too much and I really just need to quit while I’m behind.”

 

“Do you not realize that this is the most you’ve ever spoken to me?” Lena asked, still holding tight to her arm. “You may have the gift of Super hearing but I don’t. And all I know about who you are, past all the heroics, is a prayer. Please don’t leave like this. Don’t leave with me thinking that you’ll never open up to me again. That I’ll only be 'Miss Luthor' to you from now on.”

 

After closing her eyes, Supergirl took a deep breath and then opened them once more before she spoke.

 

“One of the greatest heroic moments I’ve ever experienced happened after I’d blown out my powers,” she said, recalling a moment that few people ever mentioned but that crossed her mind nearly every day. “There was a man with a gun, robbing a store. He didn’t know I was powerless but I felt it every single second of the altercation. I was terrified at first. Afraid that I might actually die this time. But then I reached deep down inside myself and remembered why I do all of this in the first place; because I truly do believe in the goodness of humanity. That most people, even when pushed to do dark things, have a light inside them that brightens someone’s day. And that, if they focus on that, they can do wonderful things for each other. Somehow, that belief he saw reflected in my eyes, caused him to hand over the gun. I always feel powerful when I’m out there. How could I not? But, that day… That day felt like magic.”

 

Lena was silent at first but then she stepped forward and placed her hand over the blue material that covered the Kryptonian heart.

 

“If every human had your heart, the world would cease to need your powers, Supergirl.”

 

She left both her hand on her chest and her gaze on her eyes for far longer than was platonic then slowly stepped back.

 

“I promise you that I will never knowingly be so reckless as to cause you such a painful choice again. You have my word.”

 

“Thank you,” Supergirl said, smiling softly, before raising a hand to touch Lena’s shoulder. “I won’t be far away. Goodnight,  _ Lena.” _

 

Lena returned the smile before saying, “Goodnight, Supergirl.”

 

She then picked up her drink and stared off into the sky as she watched the alien fly away. She’d get around to calling both Sam and Kara shortly but the moment that lingered wasn’t one to be rushed away. Something had happened between them just then. Something neither of them could control. Supergirl couldn’t stifle her words and Lena couldn’t stop the pounding beat of her heart. Nor the fondness it was starting to feel for the Kryptonian. It was one thing to find her attractive. People didn’t just fall in love with a person and never feel anything for anyone else. But this, it wasn’t about how beautiful she was. Nor was it about how seductive her power could be. It was about who she was when no one was watching. The same thing she seemed so drawn to about Lena.

 

She told herself she would let it go. That she knew damn well she was desperately in love with Kara Danvers and nothing was going to change that. And she was right about that last bit but some part of Supergirl had just wrapped itself around her heart that night. And it wasn’t going away anytime soon either. 

 

What a beautifully tragic predicament.


	6. The Cabin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay gays, I chugged all the coffee, powered through all the playlists and sacrificed all the video games to bring you this Super long chapter before I get into the last few chapters of my second novel and finish it off for NaNoWriMo. I wanted to leave you with this chapter before I did that though because a) I don't like being too much of a tease, b) THIS FIC WILL NOT LET ME SLEEP, and c) I'm a sucker for smuff.
> 
> I've been waiting to write this chapter since I started the series. 
> 
> So, here are the notes:
> 
> This is set during what would have been the Ep where Kara and Alex go back home to cry over their broken hearts. There are no hearts to mend so this story is all mine.
> 
> I know that Kara is believed to wear her suit under her clothes but the show NEVER addresses where she hides her boots and I have decided not to deal with this difficult plot hole either. Employ the same suspension of disbelief you utilize when watching the show.
> 
> It is possible that, unless I get way ahead in my novel writing this month, that this will be the last chapter delivered until December. I have way more planned out once the girls get back to National City so don't think I've given up if you see no updates for a while. It's just that I'm trying to do this for a living and I have other muses to answer to.
> 
> Speaking of which, if you'd like to keep up with me on Twitter or tumblr, my handle is summerscribbler on both.
> 
> Lastly, a HUGE thank you for the responses, retweets, reblogs, etc that you gays have given me. If there is one thing that feeds my muse as much as the characters, it's knowing that I make people happy with what I write. Thank you all so much.
> 
> Enjoy.

After a long night of exhausting apologies and much-needed sleep, Lena awoke to the ringing of her phone at 4 am.

 

“What in the name of all that is sacred?” she asked her pillow as her arm reached over to pick up the phone and answer it. “Someone better be dead because not even my own mother is so cruel as to call and wake me at this hour.”

 

“My apologies, Miss Luthor. I wouldn’t have called if it were not a matter of utmost importance.”

 

She recognized the voice of the L-Corp head of security right away.

 

“Sydney. No, please don’t apologize,” she said, sitting up in bed and rubbing her eyes. “What’s going on? Was anyone hurt?”

 

“No ma’am,” Sydney replied. “It would appear one of CADMUS' elite soldiers tried to infiltrate the L-Corp vault last night to no avail. We’ve apprehended the suspect and are awaiting further orders from you regarding how to proceed. Just as you requested should something like this ever happen.”

 

“Good work,” Lena said, putting the phone on speaker and setting it down on the nightstand so that she might dress. “Keep him locked up in the security holding cell. I want two guns on him at all times, Miss Carter. Do not let him escape before I get there. I’ll be on my way shortly.”

 

“Yes ma’am,” Sydney confirmed before ending the call.

 

Lena shimmied into a pair of black slacks and looked for a shirt just as dark. She wanted to seem all business for this particular meeting.

 

“Siri, call Alex Danvers,” she said and worked on finding her shoes as the phone started to ring.

 

“Who in God’s name-”

 

“Alex, it’s Lena,” she said, interrupting the agent. “I need to make a trade with you. You call off your dogs and allow me to leave my apartment for one hour and I’ll hand deliver a member of the CADMUS elite to you, dosed with my own special blend of truth serum. You go get him without me and he’ll never talk. Being a member of the elite likely gives him access to a great deal of information the FBI might find useful. And I just want to know what he was after.”

 

“I’m starting to like you more and more every day,” Alex said, grunting as she was obviously getting up and out of bed. “I’ll alert Agent Howe that he’s to escort you to L-Corp and wait at the door. Then I’ll come by with a team to pick up the prisoner in an hour. If we go through the back door we may even be able to do this quietly given the ridiculously early hour.”

 

“My thoughts exactly. See you soon, Agent Danvers,” Lena said with a smile before hanging up and running to the mirror to put her hair up. 

 

It seemed as though her week was improving.

 

____________________________________________________________________________

  
  


Supergirl stood on the balcony of Lena’s apartment with a bag full of donuts and a coffee. The sun had started coming up over the horizon and it looked like it was going to be another beautiful day in National City. She hoped it was a good omen for Lena and herself now that they seemed to be getting along in both Super and non-Super form.

 

She watched Lena exit her bedroom right at 8 am, walking over to the laptop sitting open on her coffee table before looking up to see what was waiting for her on the balcony. God, she looked good in all that black.

 

Then she smiled.

 

That was a really good sign. It caused Supergirl to smile too. Small, not like Kara would have, but a smile all the same.

 

“I wasn’t aware this was one of the services you performed, Supergirl,” Lena said, allowing her room to come inside.

 

“Well, it normally isn’t but I didn’t like where we left things last night,” she said, placing the donuts and coffee on the kitchen counter as she explained herself. “I’m normally so much better about controlling my emotions and when I spoke with you, after everything that happened with Edge, I didn’t even try. So, I remembered that Kara Danvers said you liked these and I thought that maybe if I brought you truce donuts, we might be able to start over.”

 

“I appreciate that,” Lena said, opening the rather large bag and finding a baker’s dozen inside. “But did you really think last night went so terribly that 13 truce donuts were necessary?”

 

She pulled out a large plate and dumped the pastries onto it.

 

“Well, I was also kinda hungry and was hoping you might want to share,” Supergirl admitted. “I can eat my weight in donuts. Literally. There’s nothing metaphorical about that statement.”

 

Lena couldn’t help but laugh and pushed the plate closer to the Kryptonian as she brought the coffee up to her lips.

 

“Eat up, Supergirl,” she said. “Might I also dare to dream that your visit means I can leave my apartment again? Morgan Edge might be a murdering lunatic but he’s not stupid enough to make a play for my life twice in the same week. Makes him seem needy.”

 

Supergirl nodded with a full half of a chocolate donut in her cheeks.

 

“I’ll be monitoring CatCo and L-Corp pretty heavily throughout the day but yes, you’re free to go do your job and see your friends. I’m not sure even I could stop Kara Danvers from seeing you at this point.”

 

“Yes, her persistence is one of her most endearing qualities,” Lena said, smiling that smile that caused her eyes to drift off to the side as she obviously thought of Kara. She pulled herself from her reverie to address something ancillary to the conversation. “But you actually needn’t bother circling CatCo or L-Corp too much today. I’ll only be at CatCo briefly. I’ve actually got business out of town that I can now make thanks to my reprieve. So, you can focus on more important happenings in the city.”

 

“Oh really? What kind of business?” she asked before realizing that she was  _ not _ Kara Danvers and that was absolutely a Kara Danvers question. “I’m sorry. That is none of my business. The donuts must have gone to my head. I’ll leave you to it, then. Have a good day, Lena.” 

 

“Wait! Supergirl!” Lena called out to stop her. “Don’t leave without at least taking another truce donut. I can’t possibly eat all of these by myself.”

 

She couldn’t help the smile that returned to her face as she turned back and did indeed take another sweet treat.

 

“Good,” Lena praised before taking another sip of her coffee. “Now, I was also wondering if you might like to get together and pray again once I’ve arrived back in town. I know that this might sound strange coming from a human but I rather enjoyed the experience. It was soothing in a way. Magical, as you might put it.”

 

She remembered her story from last night. She was trying to connect.

 

“I’d like that very much,” Supergirl answered.

 

“Wonderful. Let’s move it to my balcony this time,” Lena said before wrapping up a few donuts in napkins and putting them near her bag. “Now, go out and save the world. I’m going to see if I can bribe your agents with pastries to help me with my luggage.”

 

“I’ll see you when you get back,” Supergirl said with a smile before launching off into the sky and preparing for a costume change. 

  
  


* * *

 

 

Kara arrived at CatCo far earlier than she normally would, wanting to ensure she had enough time to chat with Lena before she left on her business trip. Surely if it were something for CatCo she would have known about it, which only left L-Corp and Kara thought Sam was handling all of the business on that end. So, where could Lena possibly be going?

 

The executive floor was somewhat sparse when she first arrived so she decided to make a quick call to Alex to see what was going on at the DEO.

 

“Hey Kara, what’s up?” Alex asked, seemingly busy.

 

“Oh, not much compared to yesterday,” Kara answered. “Supergirl went over to Lena’s this morning and made nice so I think we’re good to go there. And Lena’s going out of town so that should put her off of Edge’s radar for a  while. What’s going on at the DEO?”

 

“Nothing really,” Alex replied, the sound of a zipper closing in the background. “So much nothing that I decided to take Maggie to the beach on a surprise getaway. You know, with all the wedding stuff and the dad stuff, I wanted to give her a little time to get her mind off things.”

 

“Oh, that’s so sweet,” Kara cooed. “What a great idea, Alex. You two deserve it. Go help her get her lesbian groove back.”

 

“Trust me, she never lost that,” Alex replied.

 

“Ew, okay, subject change. How long are you two going to be gone?”

 

“Oh, not long. You know this place. It’s not like we can take a full vacation without the city going on the verge of collapse.”

 

“Of course you can! I’m here,” Kara said, somewhat defensively. “You two go have fun and don’t think about anything. I can take care of National City while you’re away.”

 

“You’re the best. Thanks, Kara,” Alex said. “I’ll call you later.”

 

“Okay, be safe,” she said before hanging up the phone and listening for the private elevator to ding.

 

Once it did, she made a beeline for Lena.

 

“Lena, hey! How are you?” she said, moving in to hug her immediately. “I guess Supergirl lifted the house arrest?”

 

“Yes,” Lena said, hugging her back before pulling away and offering up something in her hand. “And you get to reap the benefits of her truce donuts. Here.”

 

“Man, I give tasty advice,” Kara said, taking the donut and following Lena into the main office. “Is it safe to assume that you two are now on better terms?”

 

“Much,” Lena answered as she placed her bag on the couch and approached Kara once more. “The real question is, are  _ we _ ? Kara, I know I apologized last night for my behavior but I wanted to make a go of it again so that I could look into your eyes while doing so. I am so very sorry for the way I treated you yesterday. I was in a drunken pit of self-loathing and I took it out on the two people whom I most treasure in all the world. Not to mention poor Supergirl. But I am making you a steadfast promise right now that I will do my very best to never allow things to get that bad again. And I hope you know how much your faith in me means now that I’ve climbed out of The Bell Jar.”

 

“Lena, you do not need to apologize to me again,” Kara said, taking Lena’s hands in her own. “Everyone has bad days but not everyone has days that are ‘Luthor’ bad. I’m just glad everything turned out alright. You’re safe, the kids are safe and Supergirl is going to find a way to get Edge if I don’t find it first. Trust me.”

 

“No,” Lena said sternly, a protectiveness present in her eyes. “No, I don’t want you going near that man anymore, Kara. He’s a psychopath. No more articles, no more snooping. You’re to stay as far away from him as possible, is that clear?”

 

“I…” she exhaled before finally acquiescing. “Yes, Kara Danvers is off the case.”

 

_ But that doesn’t mean Supergirl is… _

 

“Good girl,” Lena said giving the hands in her own a soft squeeze.

 

_ Okay, maybe fanfiction-Alex isn’t the only Danvers with a praise kink. _

 

“Now, I hate to apologize and run but I’ve got a flight to catch in about thirty minutes and I need to leave James a few notes before I leave,” Lena said, evasively even. Causing Kara’s red flags to go up.

 

“Oh yeah? Where you off to?” she asked, keeping up the perky facade.

 

“Oh, just a quick trip to New York. I have some banking matters to attend to. Papers to sign, stocks to shift. All very boring compared to life in National City,” Lena replied, eyes avoiding Kara’s.

 

_ I think… I think she’s lying. And the only time Lena has ever lied to me was last night about the chemical company. _

 

“Okay, well, then I guess I’ll leave you to it,” she said, smiling that sad smile where she employed only her lips. 

 

She wanted to ask when she’d be back but it occurred to her that, while that question seemed perfectly normal coming from a friend, it could come off as needy coming from… whatever they were to each other now. So, she refrained.

 

“Great, thanks, Kara. Have a good day,” Lena said with a smile and a wave.

 

_ A wave? _

 

_ A wave? _

 

Lena damn near hugged her every time she left to get lunch but now she was going out of the state and all Kara got was a lousy wave?

 

“Yeah, you too. Have a safe flight,” she said, walking out of the office and removing her glasses from her face.

 

Something was up. And Supergirl would be getting to the bottom of it.

 

* * *

 

  
  


“Hi, yes, sorry, I should be just about an hour behind you,” Lena said from inside the limousine as Supergirl listened from above. “No, I want us traveling separately just in case. There’s always at least one set of eyes on me and I don’t want anyone finding out about us. Just hang tight and I’ll meet you at the cabin. Goodbye.”

 

The Cabin? In New York?”

 

“What exactly are you up to, Lena?” Kara asked herself.

 

At first, she was worried that Lena was sneaking off for some kind of move against Edge but now… She couldn’t hear the voice on the phone as clearly as she could Lena’s but it belonged to another woman. What if Lena was going to see an old flame? Even worse, what if she was going to see a new flame. Flames, in general, were bad, bad news for Kara. But she tried to not allow jealousy to overtake her just yet. She had no concrete proof that that was what was happening.

 

The car ended up making a turn onto the private sector of the airport which meant Lena wasn’t simply ‘catching a flight’. She was taking the L-Corp private jet. Whoever she was meeting must have been important. Kara watched her step out of the car and onto the tarmac, her driver helping her with her bag. She looked happy. Excited even. Which made Kara’s heart sink even faster.

 

It took a while for her to figure out where exactly the plane was going. It felt like flying at a snail’s pace to her but she couldn’t exactly pull up to the window and ask the pilot to move faster. Finally, after hours in the air, the plane started to descend upon a small, private airfield in Joplin, Missouri. 

 

Wait, what?

 

She descended down in the airspace around the airport to check her location on her phone.

 

“Smallville,” she said as soon as she saw the map. “We’re just outside Smallville. And there’s no airport there. She must be going somewhere close to home.”

 

Using her X-Ray vision, she watched as Lena exited into the airport and made a purchase at one of the stores. Champagne. Really expensive champagne.

 

“Looks like an old flame for sure,” she said, feeling her heart sink into her stomach as tears started to fill her eyes.

 

Lena had every right to see whomever she wanted. They weren’t a couple. They’d never made any promises of fidelity. Lena was going to see an old flame and there was nothing Kara could do about it because it was her fault for holding up their progress with her stupid secret.

 

She should have turned around, tail between her legs and curled up on her couch with ice cream and Netflix.

 

That’s what she should have done.

 

Instead, she followed Lena’s rental car all the way to a cabin in the woods just outside of Smallville. Dropping down, she changed behind a nearby tree while the CEO walked in to greet her ‘guest’. She wasn’t sure how to proceed from there but, given the level of escalation she’d already taken at that point, Kara decided she might as well go big and then go home. So, she walked right up to that cabin door and knocked.

 

Lena was laughing when she opened up but that laughter stopped fairly quickly once she saw who had come calling.

 

“Kara?” she asked, eyes wide, jaw nearly on the floor.

 

“Yep, that’s me. Kara. The girl who you lied to this morning when you said you were going to New York for business. The girl who you left after treating her like crap while she was trying to save your reputation. The girl who’s so in love with you that it’s obviously driven her crazy enough to act like she’s a jilted lover. I’m  _ that _ Kara. How do you like my persistence now?”

 

“Have you lost your mind?” Lena asked, stepping outside and looking at Kara as if  _ she _ were the one in trouble. 

 

“Apparently!” Kara said, holding out her arms and talking  _ way  _ too loud. “Because I just told you I was in love with you and now you’re berating me on a porch in Kansas because I’m interrupting you and your old flame!”

 

“Oh my God, Kara, lower your voice, there is no old flame!” a familiar voice came from behind Lena. One that caused Kara’s eyes to nearly pop out of her skull.

 

“Alex?” she said, heart feeling like it was going to explode as she looked back to Lena and pointed toward her sister. “You’re sleeping with Alex?”

 

The only thing crossing her mind was how in the world Alex could do this to her when, all of a sudden, Maggie popped out as well.

 

“Hey there, little Danvers!”

 

“ _ And  _ Maggie!” she yelled. 

 

It was even worse than she thought. 

 

“Guys, the jig is obviously up,” Maggie said, leaning against the doorway. “Someone want to fill Kara in on what’s going on before she has a coronary?”

 

“Kara, we are here on a mission!” Alex explained through gritted teeth. “Now get inside this cabin right now before you scandalize everyone in the tri-state area!”

 

“Oh my God,” Kara blurted softly as it all started to make sense.

 

Lena going out of town. Alex and Maggie going out of town. Lena being evasive… They must have had a mission they didn’t want her to know about.

 

“Trust me, God is not going to save you right now,” Alex said, taking her by the arm and escorting her inside.

 

Sure enough, there was a small arsenal laid out on the kitchen table in the expensive cabin. Alex and Maggie had obviously already settled in and started a fire before Lena had arrived. 

 

“I don’t understand,’ Lena said, as she closed the door. “How did you even get here so quickly Kara?” 

 

“What a great question,” Alex piled on, crossing her arms and looking at Kara with that disappointed big sister glare. “How  _ did _ you get here so quickly Kara? Keeping in mind that all of the flights were booked. Maggie and I had to take one of the department choppers.”

 

She was giving her a heads up so she would know not to say she booked a flight. She made a mental note to thank Alex for that small favor later.

 

“I um…”

 

She thought and thought and thought but there just weren’t a whole lot of options. She needed to crap a miracle. Who did she know that could do that?

 

“Cat!” she yelled out suddenly before lowering her voice. “Um, Miss Grant has a small company plane at the airport as well as connections to the manifest of planes leaving and taking off. I just… called in a favor and she was nice enough to help me.”

 

“You called Cat Grant, so that you could chase me all the way to Kansas, in order to catch me in a fake illicit affair with your sister and her fiance?” Lena asked. Her mouth hadn’t closed since Kara got there. 

 

“I… uh…. Yes, that is what I did.” Kara said, looking down at the bearskin rug now.

 

“Maggie, thank you for being so fortuitous as to bring tequila. We’re obviously going to need it,” Lena said, walking toward the bar to pour herself a drink. 

 

“Lena, I am so, so sor-”

 

“Don’t,” Lena stopped her with a finger in the air. “Just don’t talk right now because I am hurt and angry and if I learned anything at all last night from Supergirl last night, it’s that you shouldn’t speak to the people you care about when you are hurt and angry. So, right now I’m going to retire to my room to change into my hiking clothes while, you, Agent Danvers, explain to your sister why we are here and why she was not invited to this little party.”

 

Once Lena had climbed the stairs and slammed her door shut, Kara placed both hands over her mouth. The words ‘oh my God’ the only sound she was able to make.

 

“Okay,” Alex said, moving closer and placing her hands on Kara’s shoulders to do damage control. “Okay, you screwed up big time here but it’s going to be alright.”

 

“No, it’s not, Alex,” Kara said, tears starting to fall from her eyes. “There is no going back from this. Lena is going to think I’m some kind of needy weirdo.”

 

“Oh, we’ve jumped way past needy, here honey. We’ve gone to crazy town,” Alex said, guiding them both to sit on the couch. “But I’ve acted crazy before too.”

 

“She’s not lying,” Maggie chimed in. “And, look! Now we’re getting married!”

 

“And Maggie has screwed up monumentally in the past,” Alex fired back before returning to the subject at hand. “But I need you to focus on the positive right now. Lena just walked upstairs and away from you so that she didn’t say anything to hurt you. That means that she isn’t ready to jump ship and, if you play your cards right, you might actually walk out this situation and salvage the very delicate relationship you two are trying to get off the ground.”

 

Kara just shook her head. She felt catatonic.

 

“I can’t believe I didn’t trust her. After all she’s done to prove herself to me and everyone else on the planet,” Kara said, eyes far away. “Not to mention that I’m the one who’s always lying to her. I should just rip the band-aid off right now and go tell her about Supergirl too.”

 

Kara stood to do just that but Alex pulled her back down to the couch with a swiftness.

 

“Kara, don’t you dare go up there and drop this bomb on that woman right now, do you hear me?” Alex whisper yelled. “You are not thinking straight, as made apparent by your very presence here, so you are going to listen to me for the next twenty-four hours and then, once we’re all safe and back in National City, I will deal with whatever flack you take from J’onn over telling Lena you are Supergirl. But you are  _ not _ going to tell her now. Say it back to me.”

 

“I won’t tell Lena I’m Supergirl,” she said softly. 

 

“Alright,” Alex said, breathing deeply as she ran a hand over her mouth and down her neck. “Early this morning, one of the CADMUS elite tried to break into Lena’s vault at L-Corp and her security team caught him. Using one of Lena’s non-FDA approved science projects, we were able to get some very pertinent information out of him.”

 

The door above opened and Lena descended the stairs just as Alex had finished her last sentence.

 

“Turns out Lex hid some Yellow Kryptonite in ‘Lena’s Vault’,” she picked up where Alex left off, putting her hair back up. “He wrote it down in one of his rambling, psychotic journals and I guess my mother finally decided to pick that one up. She, mistakenly, thought he was talking about the vault at L-Corp when, I’m guessing, he meant the vault I built when we were children near our favorite cabin in the woods. This cabin.”

 

“And we didn’t want you coming because we were worried that you would get hurt,” Alex continued. “Plus, we thought that, with all of us gone, it might tip off Supergirl and she most certainly doesn’t need to be anywhere around here right now.”

 

“But Yellow Kryptonite won’t hurt her,” Kara said, internally cringing at her own words. “So, she’s told me.”

 

“No, it won’t hurt her, but it will make her vulnerable,” Lena said. “And I’m not willing to risk her being vulnerable for what very well may be a trap. This is my show to run. Those were the stipulations in bringing Alex and, if you can’t abide it, then I’m sure one of these two lovely ladies has a pair of handcuffs we can use to chain you to the bed while we go out to complete our mission.”

 

Kara swallowed thickly at the image forming in her head. She shook it off quickly to focus on the task at hand.

 

“I’ll behave,” she said, lowering her eyes in deference to Lena. “I promise.”

 

“Fine,” Lena said, still cold as ice. “Did you bring any boots in your bag or do you plan on hiking in your flats?”

 

“I’ve got a pair she can borrow,” Alex said, walking into the bedroom she and Maggie had settled into on the first floor and returning with a pair of combat boots. “We need to get going though. There’s a storm front coming in. Hence the arsenal. The plan is to get to the vault, secure the Kryptonite and then get back here to hunker down for the night. They’re not letting any flights out due to the risk of tornadoes.”

 

“Guess that line about not being in Kansas anymore actually doesn’t work for once,” Kara said, trying to add some levity to the situation, and failing miserably, as she put on her boots. “Anyway, I’m ready now.”

 

“Wonderful,” Lena said dryly before looking to Alex. “Alex, you’re in charge of logistics. How would you like to proceed?”

 

Maggie dropped a bulletproof vest in Kara’s lap and handed one over, along with a Glock, to Lena as Alex spoke.

 

“Okay,” she said standing and checking her weapon. “Maggie will take point out in front and I’ll bring up the rear. We don’t want to cause too much suspicion so everyone’s going to keep their guns hidden unless we run into any trouble. I don’t think anyone, aside from Kara, got wind that we were coming here so this should be a walk in the park but don’t let your guard down. Lena, you and Kara will walk in the middle both ways, carrying the Kryptonite on the return trip in the cooler.”

 

“Do I get a gun?” Kara asked as a resounding ‘no’ from all parties answered her.

 

“Oooookay, who’s going into the mine?” Kara asked.

 

“I will be, as I’m the only one who knows the code to the vault,” Lena said, holstering her firearm at her side. “Alex, it’s your call as to whether you or Maggie will follow but we obviously need someone on the outside in case something happens.”

 

“I’ll be going with you,” Alex said, hands on hips. “Maggie and Kara will look out from outside.”

 

“But wouldn’t it make sense for the two other people with guns to stand watch?” Kara said, trying to make herself useful. 

 

“No, because I think you’d be a lot more useful on the outside,” she said, getting her point across that Kara’s powers likely wouldn’t work inside the mine. “Is everyone clear on the plan?”

 

A round of confirmations filled the room before they all went out to start the mission. As Kara thought about it all, it would have actually been fun to go on a girls trip to the woods if it hadn’t been for the way she crashed the party.

 

* * *

 

  
  


Kara was quiet as a mouse as they made their trek through the woods. She’d insisted on carrying the empty cooler instead of sharing the load with Lena.

 

The CEO knew she wouldn’t be able to stay mad at Kara for long but she felt she should at least set some kind of precedent so that she didn’t think this was acceptable behavior. Although, when she thought about the roles being switched, Lena couldn’t say with 100% certainty that she wouldn’t have done exactly what Kara had done. And, on top of all of it, even though Kara was wrong about Lena sneaking off to be with a secret lover, her jealousy wasn’t completely misplaced. Because there was someone else that had been creeping into her mind more and more lately. The feelings she had for Supergirl were nowhere near as strong as they were for Kara but… they were there. 

 

So, perhaps the silence between them need only last through the trip to the mine.

 

If she could make it that long.

 

Looking back at Kara’s face was a mistake. She looked like a puppy that had just been popped on the nose for piddling on the floor. Maybe even more adorable. Falling back slightly, she walked closer to Kara’s side than her front.

 

“I’m sorry I lied to you,” she said softly. “I know that doing so last night made it harder for you to believe me this morning and likely led us to where we are now. And I’m obviously not very good at it anyway but I just… I wanted to protect you.”

 

“I understand,” Kara replied softly. “More than you might know. I don’t want anything to happen to you either. That was my motivation for following you at first. Then, at some point, that obviously changed into the completely reprehensible behavior you witnessed back at the cabin. And I am so sorry about that, Lena. If I could go back in time I would have chained myself to my own desk rather than seem… Like I seemed.”

 

“You really thought I was sneaking away to be with someone romantically?” Lena asked.

 

“I…” Kara stumbled and tried to find the right words with which to answer that question. “You don’t owe me any kind of loyalty or fidelity. We’re not together and that is mostly my doing. If you were seeing someone else, I’d have no right to do what I did before.”

 

“That doesn’t answer my question, Kara,” Lena said, still using the careful tone she’d started with. “Do you really think I would be intimate with someone else right now?”

 

“I… Obviously, I did in the moment.”

 

“Why did I try to keep you away from here, Kara?” Lena asked.

 

“To protect me,” Kara answered. “So that I wouldn’t get hurt.”

 

“Exactly,” Lena said. “Hurting you is one of my greatest fears in all the world. And, whether I have the right or not, I know it would hurt you if I were to be intimate with someone else. So, whatever our designation at this point, I can assure you I won’t be warming anyone else’s bed.”

 

“Neither will I,” Kara said right away, finally looking at Lena. 

 

A tiny smile inched it’s way up the right corner of Lena’s lips which caused a bright, beaming smile to form on Kara’s before she felt a hand grip her strong bicep. They were going to be alright.

 

“Guys, can we save the rest of this conversation for when you’re back in the privacy of your bedroom in the cabin?” Maggie called back. “This is the gayest mission I’ve ever been on and I’ve gone out multiple times with Alex.”

 

* * *

 

The entrance to the mine was well hidden. Lena had barely stumbled across it herself as a child but she remembered the path to it like she’d just been there yesterday.

 

“This is it,” she said, taking the cooler from Kara and waiting for Alex to follow alongside her to the makeshift elevator she’d engineered at the age of 12. “We’ll need to take this down.”

 

“That looks pretty rickety,” Alex said up on approach.

 

“Well, I didn’t exactly have access to soldering irons and steel as a child,” Lena said, eyes running over the wood and rope. “It looks like it’ll hold for one more trip down though.”

 

“You’re the boss,” Alex said, stepping inside with Lena. “Just use the pulley system?”

 

“Yep,” Lena replied, grabbing her own before looking at Kara. “We’ll be back in no time.”

 

“You better be,” Maggie deadpanned. “That’s my future wife you’re hauling down that old salt shaft.”

 

Lena simply responded with a wink before the lift started its descent. They were in the cavern in under a minute, Alex lighting the way as Lena carried the cooler. The room was essentially untouched. Her drawings were still up on the walls, her ‘experiments’ still sitting in jars. But there was also a set of newer footprints leading all the way to the safe.

 

“Looks like the intel was right,” Alex said, noticing them as well. “It certainly seems like someone’s been down here. Let me do a sweep for electronics and explosives before you move any closer to the safe.”

 

“Roger that,” Lena said… having always wanted to say it.

 

Alex moved a glowing green device around the room. She must not have discovered anything though because she pocketed the sweeper after it had completed its job. 

 

“Looks pretty safe to me,” she said. “It’s now or never.”

 

“Alright,” Lena said, stepping closer. “But, just in case, I want you to keep a distance. If he’s rigged the safe with any kind of chemicals, I’ll likely need you to carry me out.”

 

“Understood,” Alex said. “Why don’t you shield your eyes before opening the safe though. Just to be sure.”

 

“Excellent strategy, Agent Danvers,” Lena said as she carefully walked closer to the safe she’d cemented into a nook in the wall.

 

Turning the combination to the correct set of numbers opened the safe right up and, sitting there amongst her greatest childhood treasures, were bricks and bricks of glowing Yellow Kryptonite. 

 

“It’s here,” she told Alex as she started to pile the bricks into the cooler.

 

She nearly left the rest of the treasures inside but found that she simply couldn’t abandon the old teddy bear in the corner. So, it came along too.

 

“That’s it,” she said, hauling the cooler toward Alex as they moved back toward the elevator. 

 

“Alright, let’s get this baby back to the cabin and lockdown for the night,” Alex said, taking one last look around the cavern. “There are drawings on the wall of your family. You really love them, don’t you?”

 

“I…” Lena thought about that answer for a longer time than she should have had to. Finally, she gave Alex the closest thing to the truth that she could come up with. “I loved Lex. Lex was easy to love back then. But the rest of them, I think I just desperately wanted to love. And I desperately wanted them to love me back.”

 

“Do you still feel that way?” Alex asked, not pulling her side of the lift so that Lena might answer before they were around Kara and Maggie.

 

“I think I’ll always feel that way. All the while knowing it will never happen,” she said sadly. “But I’m finding now that it’s actually possible to build your own family if you’re willing to let people in. It’s a delicate balance of giving of yourself and believing you also deserve the help of others but, hopefully, I’m getting there. That’s why all of this… stuff with Kara is so delicate. Because, if it all goes wrong, I will lose the person closest to me in all the world. And, in turn, the family she’s allowed me to try to be a part of.”

 

It took a second for Lena to notice she was unable to pull up her own side because Alex had not yet started to work on her own.

 

“Lena,” the agent said softly. “For what it’s worth, after getting to know you, I can't think of one, single person I’ve met that has shown Kara as much care and respect as you do. I actually don’t worry too much about you causing things to go wrong. I worry about my wildly unpredictable sister going too far with things like she did today. Just try to understand that, when she does screw up, it’s likely because her heart was in the right place. Because she was born with the unfortunate affliction of having unending faith in the people she loves.”

 

“I…”

 

Lena tried to think of a response but there were no words to cover the gratitude she felt for what Alex had said. And it wasn’t flattery. Alex Danvers loved her sister more than life and she didn’t much care about hurting others with her opinion of them. When Alex said she couldn’t think of a better match, she meant it.

 

So, instead of speaking, Lena leaned in and wrapped her arms around the elder Danvers sister. The embrace was received in kind for a few seconds before they both finally pulled away.

 

“Let’s get this payload to safety now, shall we?” Alex said as the started their ascent.

 

* * *

 

 

They arrived back at the cabin not ten minutes before the skies let loose and the thunder started to roll. The Kryptonite cooler was deposited in Lena’s room at the top of the stairs. The only access from the outside was a window that sat at least 60 feet off the ground as the cabin was built on an incline. Alex and Maggie would remain downstairs guarding the main entrance to keep all bases covered.

 

“Well, I don’t know about you ladies, but I think I’m going to shower before the power goes out and we no longer have any hot water.”

 

“You really think the storm’s going to be that bad?” Maggie asked.

 

“No idea,” Lena answered. “But I’ve known this cabin since my parents purchased it when I was a child and the power always used to go out during thunderstorms.”

 

“Dibs,” Alex and Maggie both called out at the same time in reference to the downstairs shower before wordlessly entering into a game of rock paper scissors, which Maggie won.

 

“Damn it,” Alex swore before retiring to the fridge to crack open a beer. “Alright, you win. But make it fast. I want a shower too.”

 

Alex took a seat at the kitchen table with Kara as the other two women went off to clean up.

 

“How’re you doing, stalker?” she teased as she took a sip of her beer.

 

“Stop,” Kara said, through the small chuckle she couldn’t help. “I feel bad enough as it is.”

 

“Bad enough to sleep in the other bedroom upstairs?” Alex asked. 

 

“There are two?” Kara asked, somewhat deflated.

 

“Mmm Hmm,” Alex answered. “And you thought this was going to be like one of those forced sleeping arrangement fanfictions, didn’t you?”

 

“I thought you said you didn’t read that stuff,” Kara teased, gently nudging Alex’s foot with her own.

 

“I didn’t,” Alex said. “But after Maggie opened my eyes at our girls night I had to go take a peek at what people were saying about me. And they sure do love those ‘well, it looks like we have to share a bed’ stories.”

 

“Foiled by extra bedding,” Kara said, wrenching her hands in faux outrage. “It’s fine. I doubt very seriously that Lena wants to share a bed with me tonight anyway after all the crazy I came in here with earlier. And I don’t blame her.”

 

“Kara, come on. You can’t possibly be that blind, you’re wearing your fake glasses,” Alex joked.

 

“I’m not blind Alex, I just really made a mess earlier and I don’t think I’ve worked hard enough to clean it up just yet,” she said. “Plus I haven’t told her my secret and I don’t know if she’d feel betrayed if we… you know, beforehand.”

 

“Kara, I can tell you right now, with about 99% certainty, that Lena Luthor will not bail on you if she finds out your secret. That woman is head over heels for you and she proved it today by being the one to apologize to you for her little fib  _ after _ you came to this cabin acting like you were off your rocker. And I’m not telling you to have sex but for God’s sake kiss the girl so you two can at least start the process of figuring out how committed you are to this thing. Because that’s what caused all the problems earlier in the day; this huge pile of ambiguity you two have sitting between you.”

 

“Maybe you’re right,” Kara said, looking up at the bedroom with the light peeking out from under the door.

 

“You know,” Alex said, leaning in. “I’ll bet you don’t have any pajamas with you. And Lena’s bag was pretty heavy for just one night. I’ll bet she has something in there you can wear to bed.”

 

“Oh, I can just sleep in my clothes, I don’t want to bother… Oh!” Kara caught on halfway through her sentence. Alex was giving her a reason to knock on Lena’s door. “Oh, yeah. That’s a good idea. Thanks, Alex.”

 

“Well, that and smuggling Kryptonite are kinda what I’m here for,” Alex replied as she leaned back in her chair and took another sip of her beer. “There are snacks in the fridge for when you guys want them.”

 

“You’re the best,” Kara said as she stood to hug her sister and walk upstairs to address Lena.

 

* * *

 

 

A knock at the door to her room alerted Lena to the presence of someone on the other side as she brushed her teeth.

 

“Just a minute,” she said before finishing up.

 

Wrapped only in a towel, she opened the door to find Kara on the other side, purse in hand. Her face set into a mild state of shock and panic(?). Likely over Lena’s state of dress and then, of course, the stammering followed.

 

“Lena! I’m sorry,” she said, trying to look anywhere but actually at the person with whom she spoke. “I didn’t mean to disturb you when you were…”

 

“Half naked?” Lena helped her out.

 

“Yes, that’s… That’s what you are. And why I’ll come back later,” Kara said, starting to walk away.

 

“Kara,” Lena said, gripping her wrist and pulling her back. “It’s fine. I’m wearing more now than I would ever wear at the beach. Now, what was it you needed?”

 

“I um…” she stuttered but at least tried to look in the general direction of Lena’s face. “In my haste to act like a total stalker, I didn’t exactly bring any pajamas to wear to bed and I was wondering if maybe you’d brought an extra pair, by chance.”

 

Lena smiled and nodded as she pulled Kara further into the room.

 

“I like options so, yes,” she replied, letting Kara go to walk over to her luggage. “I would imagine you forgot to bring toiletries as well?”

 

“Oh, crap, right,” Kara admitted with a nod of her head. “I um… I keep a toothbrush in my purse but that’s about it. I… I’m sorry, Lena. I know that I really screwed this one up.”

 

Lena walked over to her with a pair of black yoga pants and a dark green tank top.

 

“Look at me,” she demanded before handing over the clothes.

 

Kara obeyed immediately, looking into Lena’s eyes.

 

“We keep trying to be so careful with each other that it’s actually creating these instances where trust is becoming an issue,” she explained. “I didn’t trust you about Edge and that stopped us from having a conversation that likely would have kept me off that plane. You didn’t trust me about a trip out of town, rightly so in some ways, and it led you to think that I was doing something that would hurt you… and that led to your extremely erratic, and hopefully out of character, behavior.”

 

“It was,” Kara said, honestly. “I don’t normally do things like this. I promise.”

 

“Just as it was out of character for me to lie to you and confront Edge with a gun,” Lena acknowledged. “We need to stop being so afraid to lean on each other and talk about what we’re really feeling. Now, go ahead and use my shower. There’s something I want to talk to you about after.”

 

She had to tell Kara about her feelings for Supergirl. It didn’t change the way she felt about Kara but she wasn’t going to have one more omission get in the way of what they could possibly have.

 

“Okay,” Kara said with a nod as she clutched the clothes to her chest. She lingered for just a few seconds before uttering a soft ‘thank you’ and disappearing into the bathroom, bag in hand.

 

Once the door to the bathroom was closed, Lena wandered over to her suitcase and located a pair of yoga pants, similar to the ones she’d given Kara, along with a black tank top that she knew she looked fabulous in. She was happy to be an over-packer now. She also picked out a sexy pair of black underwear to round out the outfit, just in case. Dropping the towel, she started to dress. The sounds of the shower could be heard in the room and just as she’d gotten the tank over her head, a loud clap of thunder tore through the sky and everything went dark in the cabin.

 

The very distinct screams of four grown-ass women filled the air, followed by calls from both downstairs and up asking if everyone was alright. Once it was established that, yes, indeed no one had died, Lena felt around for her phone and called down to Alex, saying there were candles in the hall closet.

 

“Kara, I’m coming, just stay where you are,” she said to Kara as she turned on her flashlight app and walked into the upstairs hallway to grab some candles and matches.

 

After piling mismatched candles onto the dresser, she chose two to light and bring into the bathroom for Kara. One for the tub so that she might see to finish her shower and the other for the sink so she could brush her teeth.

 

“Kara, I’m coming in,” she said softly as she carried the two candles. “Just look toward the back of the shower and put this candle on the shelf so that you can finish up. The hot water shouldn’t run out that quickly.”

 

“Thank you, Lena,” she said, relief present in her voice as she took the candle.

 

“You’re welcome,” Lena said, chuckling. “I’m just going to leave one by the sink as well so that you can see out here. Try not to set anything on fire.”

 

“I’ll do my best,” Kara joked back as Lena passed the candle over her bag, that was sitting on the counter, and noticed a blue sleeve sticking out.

 

Funny, she hadn’t noticed Kara wearing blue before. She picked up the sleeve to further secure it in the bag and ensure it didn’t somehow catch a spark from the candle when, suddenly, she caught sight of a whole lot more than blue.

 

_ Oh my god. _

 

“Are you ok, Lena?” Kara asked, concern evident in her voice. “You can wait in here with me if you’re afraid of the dark. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Honestly, I made Alex sleep with a nightlight in our room until I was sixteen.”

 

_ Talk to her. You have to talk to her or she’s going to know what you just saw. _

 

“Uh, no,” she said, realizing her voice was a bit too panicked, she reset the tone and stuffed the Supersuit back into the bag. “No, I was just trying to get my bearings in the dark is all. I’ll leave you to it and start lighting the candles in the bedroom.”

 

After leaving the bathroom and shutting the door, she couldn’t help leaning her back against it, trying desperately to breathe like a normal human being.

 

A normal human being.

 

Something that Kara was not.

 

_ How the hell could I possibly have been so blind?  _

 

_ How is it possible that I’ve memorized her smile and drowned in her eyes yet never fully concluded she’d saved my life so many times? _

 

Lena gripped at her chest and staggered forward to brace herself on the dresser.

 

“Kara Danvers is Supergirl,” she whispered in the darkness.

 

She then went into an even deeper panic over the fact that Supergirl had Super hearing but then remembered that the Yellow Kryptonite was in the room and calmed a bit. She figured she had maybe ten minutes to collect herself and decide what she was going to do about her discovery, which meant she needed to think fast. Super fast.

 

Swallowing thickly and taking a deep breath, she stood to her full height and, with shaky hands, started to light the first candle and think of the first important question that arose from the revelation. 

 

_ Do I still feel the same way about her? _

 

_ Yes. _

 

The answer came to her immediately as she placed the candle on the left bedside table. She took the immediacy of her answer as a good sign. If she didn’t have to think about it, that meant it was all real. And it explained so much. How she was attracted to them both, how she felt an ache within to be near them both, all of it. The fact that Kara was Supergirl simplified things in some ways. But it did complicate them in others.

 

_ This means she’s been lying to you for a very long time. Whether her reasoning for it was good or bad, Kara Danvers is capable of lying to you. Not only capable but willing and good at it. Can you truly trust her knowing what you now know? _

 

This was the harder question to answer. She turned to the dresser to light another candle and then walked to place it on the other side of the bed. She should have been anxious, wondering if Kara wanted to share the bed with her. Should have been giddy over the idea of being so close to her but now...  But now, what? 

 

The only thing that had changed about Kara was that she was someone who’d been holding onto a secret that she didn’t ever ask to have. And she’d already warned Lena that she had that secret. Had already told her she desperately wanted to share it with and couldn’t. And, given Supergirl’s affiliation with the FBI, it was possible that she had to get clearance to disclose her true identity. Surely that information was highly classified. 

 

And Kara was still Kara, no matter what she did in her free time.

 

Which was saving the world.

 

“God, how could I be so stupid?” she whispered once more before hearing the shower cut off and moving on to the next candle.

 

She supposed that was the next question. How could she not have known?

 

She’d suspected, of course. She’d even suspected that was Kara’s secret in her wonderings but had written it off because she’d seen them both at the same party, she’d watched Kara take her alien test and pass as human. All of the data she had pointed to the idea that they were both simply two beautiful blondes. They even smelled different. Kara smelled sweet, like donuts and whatever that fruity shampoo she used was. Supergirl smelled like the sky. But that was all by design, wasn’t it? Just like how Supergirl tried to stick to the shadows and spoke in a deeper register. How she’d never seen Kara without her glasses or with her hair completely down. 

 

She felt  _ less  _ stupid when she thought about all the ways in which Kara tried to keep up the ruse but she also knew that, were this a movie, she’d be yelling at the screen, throwing popcorn at her own character, and screaming ‘wake-up!’ before ending the film with a rant about how incredibly unbelievable that a character with Lena’s IQ hadn’t figured out the big secret until the reveal.

 

To Kara. She’d be ranting to Kara. Because Kara was the only person she watched movies with.

 

And that wasn’t going to change.

 

She placed the candle she’d just lit near the table at the door. 

 

The rest she lit one by one on the dresser and thought about the last question looming in her mind.

 

_ Do you tell her you know? _

 

It was a difficult question to answer because she knew that telling her needed to be Kara’s decision. That she had only found out by accident and that it hadn’t changed how she felt. But it was one more deception between the two of them. A deception Kara had kept up for years.

 

As she blew out the last match, Lena decided that, no, she wouldn’t reveal her new-found knowledge to Kara. It was hers to reveal when she was ready. And, when she did, Lena would be there to accept her.

 

“Wow,” Kara said as she opened the door, looking even more adorable with her wet hair dripping down onto her nearly bare shoulders. “If I didn’t know the reality of the situation, I’d say you were setting up a pretty romantic scene.”

 

She was clutching her bag to her chest, along with her secret.

 

“And I’d say that the ancillary details don’t much matter if the end result is what it is,” Lena said to both herself and Kara.

 

She loved Kara Danvers. That was both the end and the beginning result for Lena. 

 

“I think you might be right about that,” Kara agreed softly before moving to the corner of the room to sit her bag down and then approaching Lena. “Did you, um, still want to talk?”

 

“Absolutely,” Lena said, gesturing toward the bed. “Is this alright?”

 

Kara looked from the bed to Lena before walking over to shut the door and returning.

 

“It’s perfect.”

 

____________________________________________________________________________

  
  


Kara didn’t know where the night was going to lead. But she knew where it might and, after thinking about it nearly the entire time she was in the shower, she knew where she was willing to follow it. If Lena wanted to, that was. It was strange, being with her like that, with the Yellow Kryptonite leaving her unable to hear her heartbeat. She’d been listening for it as she washed up and that’s when it dawned on her that, of all the times they’d been in a room with each other, this was the most she was ever simply Kara Danvers.

 

They both took a seat on the bed, sitting cross-legged on each side and facing each other. She thought that Lena might be a bit nervous, given she said she had something to talk about but, if she was, she didn’t seem so. 

 

“Kara, the first thing I want to get out of the way is this secret of yours,” Lena started. “I do not care what it is.”

 

She said the statement definitively, putting her hand out as if she were level setting the situation.

 

“I told you which two things would make this a hard no for me,” she continued. “And you told me that I had nothing to worry about in that department. So, I’m trusting you on that. So, whatever this thing is, it isn’t going to come between us further down the line. I…”

 

She paused briefly, biting her lower lip. Whatever she was about to say next, it was important.

 

“I  _ love _ you, Kara. And that goes deeper than the fact that I am also  _ in  _ love with you,” she said, so confident in her words when she had every right to feel vulnerable. “It means that, through anything we might face in the future, if you want me, or need me, at your side, I will be there. Loving you is the purest form of the verb that I’ve ever experienced. And I couldn’t stop if I tried.”

 

“Oh, Lena, I-”

 

“No, please, let me finish,” Lena cut her off and Kara acquiesced for the moment. “I need to get this next part out so that you understand I’m being completely honest with you.”

 

Kara nodded and waited for her to speak once more.

 

“Obviously I’ve admitted an attraction to Supergirl before,” she said, causing Kara’s heart to start to beat faster. “And, though I’d never felt more for her before, she’s started opening up to me recently. The moments in which she’s open with me have caused me to feel more for her. I...she seems so alone sometimes and I have this desperate need to show her that she’s not. I care about her. And, while my feelings for her are nowhere as deep and wonderful as they are for you, they are there. I’m telling you this not because I want you to think that I’d ever leave you for Supergirl but because I don’t want to stop being there for her and I don’t want to lie to you about what I sometimes feel when that happens.”

 

“Lena,” Kara said softly, reaching out her hand to cover Lena’s. “It’s okay. I don’t expect you to only ever have feelings for me. While that’s a lovely notion, and one the world likes to beat over our heads, I know that’s not the way things work. Attraction or endearment.”

 

She was starting to feel something for Supergirl.  _ Lena Luthor _ was starting to have feelings for Supergirl! That meant that she was okay with having feelings for an alien and she was okay having feelings for her family’s sworn enemy. And, not only did she have feelings for her, she understood her loneliness and wanted to be there to comfort her. This was  _ huge _ !

 

“But that doesn’t mean I would ever act on those urges, Kara,” Lena said, seriously. “Your fears today, they were unfounded. I don’t want you to ever worry that I would betray you like that, alright? If you want to proceed with… well, let’s just finally say it; a relationship. If you want us to be together then I need you to trust me with your heart. And I’m going to have to trust you with mine.”

 

Nodding, Kara squeezed the hand she was holding in her own.

 

“I trust you, Lena. I do,” she said, pouring all of her sincerity into her tone. “And I love you too. So much.”

 

She could feel tears starting to form in her eyes as she spoke but she’d let them fall before she’d break eye contact with Lena for the remainder of what she had to say.

 

“I’m sorry it took me so long to say it I just… I didn’t know if we could get past the parts of me that I can’t show you yet but now, now I know that we can,” she pulled her hands away only so that she could shift her body closer to Lena’s. Their knees were touching and Kara felt a pulse of electricity run through her body just at that. She took Lena's hands once more. “I started falling in love with you the day you saw me in a room that normally would have been completely taken up by Clark Kent’s presence. There have been so many moments in my life where I’ve just stood in someone else’s shadow; Alex’s, Supergirl’s, Cat’s… But you saw  _ me _ almost right away. And what was even more beautiful than that was letting me see you.”

 

“Oh Kara, I-”

 

“Shh!” Kara interrupted with a smile and an overdramatic shush and a finger over Lena's perfect lips. “It’s my turn.”

 

She allowed her finger to linger for longer than it should have before finally pulling back and continuing.

 

“You surprised me at nearly every turn. You taught me that there wasn’t only one side to a story and then you bent your own will to try to see things from my perspective. So much so that our viewpoints have both changed for the better because we were able to see certain situations through each others’ eyes. And your heart,” the first tear fell as she started down that path and, though she tried to reach up and catch it, she was no match for Lena’s speed. She wiped at the tear and cupped Kara’s face as she continued. “You try to do the right thing at every, single twist and turn. I know how desperately you want your mother’s love and approval but, when given the chance to have that and the world, you chose the lives of others over your own happiness. That is rare and beautiful and so incredibly typical of your beautiful heart. A heart I will protect and nurture with everything I am. Whether you choose to give it to me, or Supergirl or whomever you deem worthy. Because you already have mine, Lena.”

 

Lena shook her head and gently ran her thumb over a second set of flowing tears.

 

“Are you finished?” she asked speaking as softly as she smiled.

 

“Yes,” Kara said with a huff of a laugh. “Yeah, I’m finished.”

 

“Then come here,” Lena said, pulling her Kara into her arms as she rested back against the pillows. 

 

They stayed that way for a few sweet and blissful moments, content with the silence. Kara buried her face in Lena’s neck and no longer wondered what made up her scent because she had just bathed in it. She felt as if she were swimming in Lena.

 

And she wanted to dive deeper. 

 

That’s what caused her to break the contact and rise up onto her elbow; her free hand slowly moving upward to cup Lena’s face. She traced over her eyebrow. Feeling, for the first time, the curve of its arch. She then moved down her cheek, prominent, long and soft. Then over the mound of her chin and back to the expanse of her strong and proud jaw. She’d often thought to herself that Lena’s jaw could cut through steel. And she decided to test that theory.

 

I was almost like a kiss on the cheek but, due to its position closer to her neck and ear, was far less innocent and platonic. Kara pressed her lips gingerly against the sharp left corner of Lena’s face as she held the right with her left hand. The moan she heard instantly pushed her movements further as her lips dragged down that strong line, closer to Lena’s lips. Her lower body had relaxed more into Lena’s as well and she started to find it more difficult to breathe as she pulled back to stare into those gorgeous, crystal green eyes; darkened now with the same look she’d noticed when they were dancing. The same look Lena had when Supergirl told her she would take her into her hands.

 

“I want you, Lena,” she whispered against plush, pink lips. “But I need to know that you want this too. I’d never want to push… I need to hear you say it.”

  
  


* * *

 

“I want you too, Kara,” Lena said, her voice a much lower register than even she was normally used to. It was filled with the lust of a thousand tempered moments about to be realized. “Let me show you.”

 

She kept their eyes locked as she turned their bodies so that Kara was now on her back and Lena was resting above her. Her left arm propped up her body while her right moved up to run a hand through Kara’s damp hair, down to clutch the back of her neck. Lena’s thumb ran a line over Kara’s own jaw, in the same spot where the blonde had just kissed her. But that’s not where Lena’s lips aimed when they descended.

 

She kept her eyes open to the last, looking longingly into Kara’s. Ensuring she knew that Lena was _with_ her in that moment. That it wasn’t about the mechanics of their movements but the melding of their souls.

 

But, to be honest, the mechanics were pretty damn spectacular too as far as kisses go. 

 

It wasn’t just their lips that met but their bodies and moans. Kara’s hips tilted up and her legs fit around Lena’s just as her top lip fit so perfectly between Lena’s. Their mouths moved together in a slow cascade of exploration and shaky breaths. Kara’s hands pulled at her back, bringing her closer. Her nails ran gently down the base of her scalp as if aid in the building of a pressure deep within her hips that were already starting to move to a rhythm as ancient as time itself. When Lena’s tongue begged permission to taste her, she opened up without qualm and coaxed her inside.

 

That kiss was fire and waves and electricity.

 

It was the first time Kara smiled at her like they were really friends.

 

It was the first time Lena relaxed into her office couch, unafraid to share herself with this new person that redefined wonderful.

 

It was every ‘I believe in you’, ‘I’m here for you’, and, recently, ‘I love you’ that they’d ever shared. 

 

But what Lena hoped more than anything, was that it was just the beginning.

 

She pulled back for air and took in the intense look on Kara’s face. She looked starved. And her eyes begged for Lena to satisfy that hunger. Her eyes behind the glasses that, somehow, actually had managed to hide her identity.

 

Lena was glad she’d found out her secret beforehand because she likely would have tried to remove them during that moment, wanting to get a better look at Kara’s face. But now she knew how much that would likely scare her, so she left them on. They also helped to keep her mind in the right place. She was with Kara tonight. In every possible way.

 

She started exploring more of her face and neck, noting devilishly that there was a particular spot near her earlobe that, when nibbled, caused Kara to writhe more desperately. 

 

“God,” she rasped, holding tight to Lena. “My body… I feel everything.”

 

And Lena understood what she meant. Her body was more sensitive with the Kryptonite in the room. The CEO would ensure she took every possible advantage of that enhancement.

 

“Would you like to feel more?” she husked into Kara’s ear.

 

“Yes,” Kara answered. “God, yes.”

 

With more permission granted, Lena slowly pulled the tank top off of her and allowed her eyes to feast upon Kara’s body. She, of course, had the most perfect breasts imaginable, followed by abdominal indentions so delectable that Lena had to pace herself or she would have bent down to run her tongue over each and every ripple. Instead, she settled her body between Kara’s thighs, placing her hands on her hips and encouraging a slow grind. 

 

Her right hand raked up the washboard stomach and caressed her left breast as Lena’s head bowed down to start a slow progress of kisses up to the other. She took Kara’s nipple in her mouth and sucked as she now used her hands to brace the top half of her body. The bottom worked up a slow friction against the warm mound beneath her while Kara reached for her face and crushed their mouths together once more.

 

She lived in that kiss for a moment once more.

 

She remembered reading Kara’s words, defending L-Corp’s in that article about the detection device.

 

She recalled Kara's blush after finding an office full of flowers.

 

She rekindled the heat of the moment that Kara revealed she’d never given herself, like this, to anyone.

 

“I need to taste you,” Lena said breathlessly against Kara’s lips as she continued to drive harder against her with her hips.

 

“Please, Lena,” Kara replied, reaching down to remove the CEO’s shirt as well and kissing her once it was done. “Please just don’t stop.”

 

And Lena obeyed.

 

It didn’t take long for her to remove the rest of Kara’s clothing and start kissing up her silky thighs. The evidence of arousal was made apparent by sight alone. And, as Lena settled in to lay close to her mound, she placed long, slow, gentle kisses along her lips before allowing her tongue to dip inside and taste. 

 

Kara screamed loud enough at the action that there was no way Alex and Maggie hadn’t heard them. At first, Lena worried that they might burst into the scene, guns drawn, only to see her face buried deep between Kara’s thighs. Luckily her ears detected no movement from below so she felt as if they were safe enough to continue. 

 

Kara moved against her diligently, forcing herself to keep with Lena’s languid pace. She explored every silken crevice and moaned against the hardened pearl that would become her focus. But only for a few moments. For when she felt the tension in the thighs around her increase, Kara gently pulled her head away and begged for her attention elsewhere.

 

“Lena would you please…” she stammered as if she were unsure how to ask for what she wanted. “I want you here with me.”

 

Without a word, Lena moved up to lay half on Kara’s side and hold her as she looked into her eyes.

 

“I’m right here, Kara,” she said as she stroked her face. “I’m not going anywhere.”

 

It took a few seconds for Kara to nod and then she moved in to kiss the lips that had just pleasured her further south. It was a move Lena hadn’t expect from Kara, though she couldn’t put her finger on why. But the act of tasting herself on Lena’s lips aroused Lena greatly and she showed that by moaning into the kiss.

 

She believed she knew why Kara needed the connection even better now. She’d lost her family, her home and her entire planet. Lena could only imagine the abandonment baggage she must carry after such a traumatic event. So, she was diligent in showing her that she was not alone.

 

“Look at me,” she whispered softly as she broke the kiss, cradling the back of Kara’s head with one hand as she allowed the other to trail down to where her lips had just been. “Open for me.”

 

Kara compiled and slowly spread her legs wider as Lena’s hand started to run through her arousal. 

 

“Feel me, Kara,” she said, pausing briefly at her entrance to stare lovingly into her eyes before slowly entering her for the first time.

 

They both cried out at that. Neither of them caring anymore who heard.

 

Kara wrapped around Lena tightly in every possible way. Her arms, her legs, her body. And, when Lena felt she’d gotten used to the feeling, she started to move within her, using her thumb to slowly stroke the sensitive bundle of nerves that would work her up even more.

 

When Kara finally closed her eyes and gave in to the feelings taking over her body, Lena leaned in to bury her face in her shoulder; kissing, nipping and sucking any skin she found there. It wasn’t long before she could feel the blonde getting close to the edge. For that, she pulled back to watch her experience her release.

 

Every muscle was strung tight as a bow. Blue eyes that could put the ocean to shame were wrenched shut. Lips that always glistened with just a touch of gloss alternated between calling her name and slamming shut as her jaw clenched down. The pulsing around her fingers matched the ragged breaths mingled with moans as Kara’s body took over all conscious thought. And, finally, when the waves subsided, Lena leaned up to place reverent kisses all over a bewildered face.

 

“Come back to me,” she whispered softly before placing a loving, more chaste kiss on her lips. She stayed there until she could feel Kara’s body relax and then she slowly pulled away and out of her body to hold her close.

 

After what seemed to be such a long stretch of silence, Kara finally spoke.

 

“There is nothing in the universe that could possibly feel better than that,” she said, a smile slowly starting to creep up her face. 

 

_ And you would certainly know, wouldn’t you, my hero? _

 

“Hmm. I wouldn’t be so sure. We’re just getting started,” Lena said, smiling as she rolled onto her back and pulled Kara with her.

 

“I know,” Kara replied, her eyes darkening much faster than Lena thought they would. “I still haven’t touched you, yet. Can I?”

 

Of course, she would ask after all they’d just done together.

 

“Of course you can, Kara,” Lena said, running a hand through long, blonde hair.

 

She was worried that Kara would be afraid when it came to touching her. She’d mentioned her insecurities before but there was no trace of them now as she started to explore Lena's body. There was a sweetness to everything Kara did, it should have been no surprise to Lena that it would present in her lovemaking as well. And, if the attentive exploration Kara was giving her body could be labeled as ‘inexperience’ then she considered herself a fan. The only problem was that Lena knew it couldn’t possibly last as long as she’d like. Her entire body had caught fire as she touched and teased Kara.

 

Hell, it had been on fire for two years now. Lena was ready to explode before they’d ever even kissed.

 

“You’re so…” Kara’s stunted words pulled her from her thoughts and it was then that she realized that there was hand touching her center over her yoga pants.

 

Kara could feel her excitement through the material and, because she was Kara, she couldn’t possibly just come out and say the word 'wet'.

 

Which was absolutely the right word for the state Lena was in at that moment.

 

“It’s because of you, Kara,” she admitted, leaning up so that she could both remove the rest of her clothing and taste Kara’s lips once more. 

 

She licked her own as she laid back and guided Kara’s and down to touch her without the barrier, causing them both to gasp. Lena’s hand then moved back up Kara’s arm and settled once more on her face. 

 

“All you have to do is touch me, Kara,” she said, trying hard to focus on her words. “Then catch me when I fall.”

 

She knew it was a reference Kara would attach a double meaning to and she wanted it to be that way.

 

“Always,” Kara replied as her fingers started to explore the slick folds.

 

_ I know, love. _

 

Kara held her closer than she had when Jack died.

 

She slipped inside her just as easily as she’d slipped past her defenses, and into her heart, that day she wrote the article about L-Corp.

 

She consumed her body as she so often consumed her thoughts.

 

And, when Lena came as hard as she could ever remember, she held on tight to Kara just as she did that she’d saved her from falling from her own building.

 

Kara’s reaction to Lena’s climax was not quite as tempered as her own which, of course, made Lena love it even more.

 

“I’m right here, Lena,” she said intently. “I’m here and I love you and I never want to let you go.”

 

Lena let out the last breath of her orgasm and started to use her hands to soothe the fervent being above her until the power of speech returned.

 

“I love you too, Kara,” she said, pulling her in for another powerful kiss and then simply breathing the same air. “I love you too.”

 

* * *

 

It took them both a few minutes before they were able to move and settle beneath the covers. They positioned themselves on their side, arms sometimes holding, sometimes stroking each other as they kissed, and smiled and finally started speaking again in full and complex sentences.

 

“You do realize we should probably pay for some of Alex’s therapy sessions after putting her ears through that kind of traumatic event, right?” Lena joked.

 

“Oh, I’m not even worried about that,” Kara replied. “You have no idea the horror stories I had to hear when she was freaking out over the first time she had sex with Maggie. She read four books and got a virus on her computer from the websites she went to.”

 

“Hmmm, and how’s your laptop fairing these days, Kara?” she replied, unable to help herself.

 

“Yeah, last I checked no one ever got a virus from ReporterCorp fanfiction,” Kara replied saucily before leaning in for another kiss. “I guess you’ve figured out what my OTP is now, huh?”

 

“Yes, and you mine,” Lena confirmed before allowing a serious expression to grow on her face. “Are you sure you’re alright with everything? This being your first time and all?”

 

“Are you kidding?” Kara beamed. “Do you have any idea how small a percentage of people share their first time with someone they actually love? Someone who loves them back and treats them with such respect? Lena, that was the most beautiful experience of my life.”

 

“It was the most beautiful experience of mine too,” she said, genuinely, eyes unwaveringly glued to Kara’s.

 

Worry started to fill Kara at that moment over what she’d just said. It was true, most people didn’t experience such a perfect and unimaginably wonderful entry point into their own sexual expression. And, though she didn’t want to dampen the mood, she simply had to ask about Lena’s.

 

“Was your first time with someone you loved?” she asked, hoping against hope that the answer was ‘yes’.

 

Before Lena answered, she reached out with a somewhat sad smile and a caress that both told Kara she should have known better.

 

“It was with someone I liked well enough,” she said. “A boy at my university.”

 

Kara’s face fell instantly, a mixture of worry and rage starting to form in the crinkle on her forehead.

 

“Did he hurt you?” she asked, afraid of the answer.

 

“No, he, well,” Lena stumbled over her words then sighed as she looked away to recall the past. “Nothing he did in that moment was unpleasant. He’d taken me out on several dates, he’d respected my boundaries and he waited until I was the one to say that it was time. It was your garden variety first time. It was exciting, intimate, somewhat painful and over before I had the chance to… Well, you know. Still, I was excited to see him again because he was the first guy I’d ever dated that wasn’t afraid of me and didn’t seem interested in my family’s money.”

 

“But?” Kara asked, knowing there was a ‘but’ coming.

 

“But,” she confirmed by continuing. “The next day, when I came to visit him at his frat house, his fraternity brothers were throwing him a celebration. They’d bought him a red cape with the symbol of The House of El on it and deemed him Superman. Because Superman had been, at that time, the only being to have ever 'fucked' a Luthor.”

 

Kara’s felt her heart break into a million pieces for Lena both now and then. Her breath was coming in quick waves and her body was shaking with rage and fear. 

 

“Lena, I’m so…” she tried to speak but her words were caught in her throat.

 

“Hey, stop,” Lena commanded, forcing Kara to come back to the bed, back to the present and look at her. “That is in the past now. And if one lame joke from some idiot who likely burned out in his early twenties is all I had to go through to get to you then it was more than worth it.”

 

She pulled her into her arms and held her tight, causing Kara to do the same.

 

“Nothing about you scares me, Kara,” Lena insisted in her ear. “Nothing.”

 

She allowed herself to relax into the embrace. She didn’t want to ruin the beautiful moment with her own fears. 

 

“Your heart is safe with me, Lena,” she said, trying to believe it herself.

 

“I know,” Lena replied immediately. “I know that just like I know I’m breathing right now.”

 

They would be ok. They could do this. Kara would find a way to do this.

 

But how could she possibly tell Lena she was Supergirl now?

  
  
  
  



	7. Chemistry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baaaaaaack. With NaNoWriMo a great success and 50k more words down in my novel, I couldn't wait to get back to this. Partially because I just can't get enough of these two right now and partially because those new shots of Kara in country clothes just dropped and dear, sweet, lord, baby Christmas Jesus she looks good in plaid.
> 
> This Chapter is still taking place during the time frame when Kara and Alex went back to Midvale. I wanted a liiiiiittle more time for smuff before they return to National City. The next chapter will be more of the same and then we'll get back to the regularly scheduled CW programming with better plot.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it. Drop me a line if you do. I love hearing what makes you all happy.

 

 

Waking  _ into  _ a dream was a fairly unfamiliar experience for Kara. Sure, there’d been that one time she’d been tricked into thinking she’d woken up on Krypton but that was parasite-induced, and not very pleasant, once the truth was finally revealed. This though. The truth was resting in her arms. On her chest. Tangled up in her legs.

 

And that truth was Lena Luthor.

 

Kara’s dreams of sad goodbyes, lonely phantom zones, and a dying planet would always be there but this reality, this truth, this wonderful feeling of a million possibilities… It was everything.

 

She kept still for a while, allowing herself to take in the moment. The cadence of Lena’s breathing, the grip she had on her side, the smell of shampoo in her hair. It all made her feel surrounded by love and comfort and warmth.

 

Lena was the polar opposite of her dreams. And that was even better than potstickers and pizza.

 

A short huff of amusement exhaled her nostrils and caused a small grunt of semi-wakefulness to rumble in the CEO's throat as she snuggled in even closer. 

 

“You’re not allowed to be awake yet,” Lena said groggily, her words somewhat muffled from the portion of her lips resting on Kara’s chest. “Go back to sleep.”

 

“Really?” Kara said as she stroked Lena’s hair. “Why’s that?”

 

“Because I’m going to wake up first and sneak downstairs to make you breakfast in bed,” Lena answered tracing sleepy patterns on Kara’s washboard stomach. “Maybe steal a few flowers from the garden to put on the tray.”

 

“What if I wanted to be the one to cook you breakfast in bed and bring you flowers?” Kara asked. That  _ had _ been the instinctual plan of action she’d started to map out as she fell asleep the night before.

 

“Kara,” Lena said as she slowly propped herself up on her elbow to look down at the beautiful face below her. “Only a self-serving idiot would allow you to wake up and spoil them after being with you for the first time. And I’m a genius who’s happiest moments are becoming, almost exclusively,adjacent to the act of seeing you smile. Give me the chance to be the romantic one here.”

 

Kara offered up her smile with nary a rose or pancake in sight as she turned the tables and flipped them over so she might look down upon Lena.

 

“Last night was a first for both of us,” Kara corrected. “Just like you explained about the dancing. You may have known all of the steps… Like, really well. Exceedingly well. So well I can’t wait to ‘dance’ with you again-”

 

“Kara,” Lena said, cupping both of her cheeks and bringing her down for a soft but chaste kiss before pulling away. “Stay on topic, please.”

 

“Right,” Kara nodded and tempered her libido. “My point is that we both deserve the romance, Lena. How ‘bout you go steal those flowers and I’ll work on scrambling the eggs? Okay?”

 

“Okay,” Lena replied, this time it was she who smiled. “Do you think I can talk you into doing one more romantic thing for me?”

 

“Lena, there’s probably nothing on this planet you could ask me to do that I would say no to,” Kara answered honestly. “Ask away.”

 

“Alright,” Lena said, biting her lip before finally verbalizing her request. “Stay with me here for one more day. Just the two of us. If no one came for us last night then there’s no way anyone actually knows that we’re here. Let alone that there would be anything left for them to come for once Alex and Maggie take the yellow Kryptonite back to National City. Let me have you for one whole day before we go back to all the madness that awaits us.”

 

Kara’s thoughts raced when Lena mentioned the yellow Kryptonite. Of course she wanted to be with her alone in the cabin for a day but if Maggie and Alex took the Kryptonite back then she’d regain all of her powers. And if she had her powers then Lena ‘having’ her was going to become increasingly more dangerous.

 

Unless…

 

“I can’t think of one single thing I’d want to do more than be alone with you all day,” she said, placing one last kiss on Lena’s lips before pulling away to start getting dressed. “Why don’t you go pick those flowers and I’ll tell Alex I’ll be staying behind while I start breakfast?” 

 

“Sounds like a plan I can get behind,” Lena answered as she too pulled herself out of bed and put on enough clothes to make the trek to the garden. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

 

She placed one last, lingering kiss on Kara’s lips before leaving the room with a smile the size of Kansas etched on her face.

 

Once the door was shut, Kara acted quickly to open the container of Kryptonite and pull one of the bars out. If she placed it under the bed, it should be more than enough to nullify her powers throughout the cabin… or at least the upstairs portion. 

 

She then pulled one of the soft robes in the bathroom around herself and carried the box down to where Alex and Maggie were waiting patiently at the dining room table, sipping on coffee. A whistle and applause erupted from Maggie’s side of the table while Alex stood and crossed her arms. Overstated annoyance dripping from her gaze.

 

“I really hope you’ve stashed away enough CatCo money for my therapy bills next month because I have a feeling they are going to be a doozy,” Alex said as Kara plopped the heavy box down on the table.

 

“Oh, come on, we weren’t that loud,” Kara said, a blush tinting her cheeks.

 

“You attracted wildlife,” Alex countered. “I almost had to shoot a bear.”

 

“Do not let her rain on your extremely vocal parade, Little Danvers,” Maggie said as she walked over to grab the box and load it in the SUV. “Luthor looks good on you.”

 

Kara looked down as Maggie passed by, realizing she was covered nearly head to toe in Lena’s clothing and then forcing her attention back to Alex who seemed to have gentled her features.

 

“Well, she’s right about one thing,” Alex said. “You’re pretty much glowing. While the entire lower half of Kansas may know that everything went well last night, I am curious about this morning. Everything okay in the harsh light of day?”

 

Kara wondered if there would ever be a day where Alex didn’t worry about her bulletproof sister.

 

“Yeah,” Kara nodded. “Better than okay, actually. She… She loves me, Alex. Like Super-cheesy romance novel loves me. Now I understand that radiance you had when you and Maggie finally got together. The way you walked around the DEO like you had new blood in your veins. And how you started talking more about wedding bands than guns! This feeling is… it’s better than flying. Loving her is better than all of my Superpowers.”

 

“Woo! Okay, so I guess you did delve right into cheesy romance novel territory,” Alex said with a smile and a shake of her head, knowing full well that Kara was right. She’d felt the same way when she saw Maggie wearing her shirt and making coffee in her kitchen. “But maybe you’re right. Maybe love is the Superpower we all have. I’m happy you have it, Kara. I really am.”

 

“Thanks, Alex,” Kara said, with a content smile before tilting her head, and squinting her eyes, to ask about taking the day off. “Do you think I could keep that feeling uninterrupted for just one more day? I know you and Maggie are about to head back to National City but Lena asked if I’d stay here with her today and I was wondering if maybe J’onn could take over Supergirl duties until tomorrow?”

 

Alex answered with a sigh of amazement and a gentle pull to bring Kara into a hug.

 

“I think we can handle it,” she said before letting go and allowing herself to just be happy for a moment. “Enjoy your day, Kara. I’ll see you when you get back. Call me if you need anything, okay?”

 

“You got it,” Kara confirmed. “Thanks Alex.”

 

They parted ways as Alex grabbed the last of her things and closed the door. A sense of giddiness settled into the beating of Kara’s heart as she pulled out a pan and perused the fridge to see what they had. It looked like Alex and Maggie had stocked up on enough eggs and bacon for breakfast but that she and Lena might have to run into town to pick up something for lunch and dinner.

 

That made her happy too. The normality of it all. It was such a far cry from saving Lena from a crashing plane and Kara was grateful for that.

 

As she set the bacon to fry in the pan she realized that, while there was only one way to cook bacon, there were a few ways to cook eggs; and she didn’t know how Lena liked her eggs. Whipped in a bowl? Scrambled in the pan? Over easy? Or would she want something fancier like eggs benedict? Which would mean Kara would have to actually learn how to make eggs benedict. 

 

No matter the preference, at the end of the day, Kara Danvers would be the type of person in Lena’s life who knew how she liked her eggs. 

 

The opening and closing of the door alerted her to Lena’s entrance and she turned to find her holding a lovely arrangement in her hands.

 

“Wow, you’re really good at stealing flowers,” Kara joked before pouring two cups of coffee.

 

“Of course you would send the Luthor to do the dirty work,” Lena joked right back as she searched under the sink for a vase and stood to fill it with water. “Detective Sawyer made mention that she’d let me go with a warning this time, being this isn’t her jurisdiction, but that if ever I decided to pilfer National City flowers, I’d have my choice of a lot more than one girlfriend in the county jail.”

 

“I doubt she’d want to deal with a Supergirl sized hole in the wall at county,” Kara said as she poured creamer into her own coffee but kept Lena’s black; because she definitely knew how she liked her coffee.

 

“Really?” Lena said, putting the flowers down in the middle of the kitchen table and taking the offered cup into her hands. “And how do you know that Supergirl would be willing to save me from a well-earned fate?”

 

_ Crap! _

 

“I um…” Kara stumbled over her words, realizing she should  _ not _ be speaking for Supergirl. “I mean, I’d ask her to and we’re pretty close so it’s likely she’d do it for me. Plus, I mean, because we’re so close, I know that she cares about you a lot and I doubt very seriously she’d want you to become someone's… prison bitch just because Maggie wanted to prove a point about some flowers.”

 

“Someone’s prison bitch, hmm?” Lena raised an eyebrow and moved in closer. “Do you really think that in an environment so ill-structured as prison, that I’d be relegated to  _ that _ position? I may only be a Luthor in name but that doesn’t mean I didn’t pay attention all those years watching them claw their way to the top. Throw me to the wolves and I’ll come out leading the pack.”

 

“Don’t I know it,” Kara whispered, taking in their closeness and the way Lena eyed her as if she might be her prey.

 

“Not even the half of it,” Lena countered with a lecherous smile before moving back and sipping her coffee. “But I’ll leave you in the dark on that for a little while longer. Wouldn’t want to burn breakfast. For now, why don’t you tell me a little more about this relationship you have with Supergirl?”

 

* * *

  
  


It wasn’t that Lena  _ wanted _ to make Kara squirm at that moment. Though the prodding about Supergirl certainly had that effect. No, she wanted to understand more about this other side of Kara. This very real side that she tried so hard to keep separate from whom she often presented as.

 

“What um, what exactly do you want to know?” Kara asked, turning to pay particularly close attention to the bacon before also trying to change the subject. “Also, how do you like your eggs?”

 

“Over easy,” Lena answered and then moved right on. “You said last night that you’ve known for a while now that you were in love with me. Does Supergirl know about that? Is that why she’s always shown a special interest in protecting me? As a favor to you?”

 

“No! I mean, yes! I mean…” she took a breath before turning to face Lena as she spoke. “Supergirl wants to save everyone, obviously, but you’re special to her and it’s not just because of your proximity to me. She genuinely likes you, Lena. She sees you as not only an ally but a moral leader of the city. If anything, her knowing about my feelings for you have probably kept her at a greater emotional distance. Not a closer physical one.”

 

There was something about Kara’s face when she made the explanation. She looked at the ground when she spoke and furrowed her brow. As if she were just understanding something for herself.

 

“So, she does know about your feelings then?” Lena asked. 

 

“Yeah, she does,” Kara nodded before turning to finish the bacon and start the eggs.

 

“She’s a Kryptonian,” Lena said, her tone gentler as she moved closer to help Kara plate the food. “My brother tried to kill her cousin, my mother has tried to kill her kind and, during the Medusa crisis, I’m sure she even believed for at least a moment than I was trying to kill her. Did she not ever warn you to stay away from me?”

 

Lena thought, for the first time, about Kara being in that suit the moment the inert virus was released into the air. About Kara being the one she’d chastised when she came in to reveal to Lena that it was Lillian who was behind CADMUS. She’d been so hard on her. She’d spoken to her in a way she would never have spoken to her if she’d known she were Kara. And still, Supergirl told her that she believed in her. That she knew she wasn’t like her mother.

 

Lena would have always stopped Lillian because it was the right thing to do. But how might she have reacted if it had been Kara who’d stopped by that day to tell her the truth about her mother? How many other times had Kara forced Supergirl to be the one having the hard conversations with her so that Lena would always see Kara Danvers as her loyal friend?

 

“Never,” Kara answered her question, interrupting her thoughts. “Everyone else may have had their doubts. Hell, James did all the way up to just recently, because I put him in his place, but Supergirl never did that.”

 

After plating the eggs, Kara motioned her head toward the table and Lena followed with the coffees so they could sit together.

 

"That honestly makes me feel better,” Lena said, taking a breath and sticking a fork into one of her eggs. She focused  more on her food leaving an opening for Kara to start asking the questions now.

 

“So, it was just recently that you started having these feelings for Supergirl?” Kara asked, taking a bite of her bacon. “Is that why all of these things from the past are coming up all of a sudden?”

 

“Yes,” Lena answered and, technically, told the truth.

 

The praying and the admission that she meant something to Supergirl, that had started a yearning within her to be closer to the Kryptonian for sure. But, now that she knew she was Kara, she was also looking at all of the interactions through a different lens. One where she was far more protective of Supergirl’s feelings.

 

“I can call her here for you, if you want to talk to her,” Kara offered with something akin to worry in her eyes. “She can get here a lot faster than your plane can and I could leave you two alone to talk.”

 

_ Oh no, she’s worried that it’s Supergirl who I really wish to be with. That’s what I get for trying to make things better. Half the road to hell was paved with the good intentions of Luthors alone. _

 

“No,” Lena answered, turning her hand over to grasp Kara’s, running her thumb over her knuckles. “No, I’ll talk to her when I return. I want today to be about us. Because  _ you _ are the one I want to be with, Kara. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked so many questions about Supergirl.”

 

“Hey, it’s okay,” Kara soothed. “I’m the one who brought her up. Plus, I want you to care about how Supergirl feels, Lena. She’s an important part of my life.”

 

Lena noticed the wording and wondered exactly how many times Kara had thought so carefully about how to build a sentence for Lena regarding Supergirl so that she didn’t have to bald-faced lie. She’d probably done it a hundred times without Lena noticing. But now she would. And, as she thought deeper into it, she realized that Kara likely did want to encourage Lena’s relationship with Supergirl because they were all one in the same.

 

“Good, I’m glad we’re on the same page about that,” Lena said, deciding to focus more on her meal. “This is excellent, by the way.”

 

“Yeah, well, when you love food as much as I do, it’s kind of important that you learn to cook,” Kara said, back to her chipper self. “But we probably need to run into town if we’re going to eat anything besides tequila later.”

 

“Plus, we should probably pick you up some fresh clothes,” Lena teased. “You should really start keeping a go-bag packed if you’re going to up your stalking game.”

 

“Hey, my current stalking game ended up with you in my arms this morning so I’m not so sure I want to change anything,” Kara teased back. 

 

“Touche, Miss Danvers. Touche.”

 

* * *

 

 

They spent the rest of the morning cleaning up the mess from breakfast and sharing intimate looks and touches here and there. In all of Kara’s fantasies regarding what it might be like to be with Lena, she’d always been Super affectionate. Likely because, even in a platonic situation, Lena had always been Super affectionate. The only difference now was that the hesitance was gone. 

 

She’d picked up on that quite a few times in the past. A reach that would come just shy of extending far enough to touch her, a hug that fell short and ended with a squeeze to the shoulder. Lena’s fear of physical rejection was more infrequent after she’d done something to warrant the closeness, like when she’d filled her office with flowers or after they’d quarreled and made up. But, other times, there was always a hint of fear behind those gorgeous green eyes. Fear that, more than likely, had been put there by Lillian. Kara’s heart shattered thinking about Lena’s childhood with that monster of a woman. Imagining a little Lena having a hard day and seeking warmth and affection only to be rejected by the woman she was supposed to call ‘mother’. 

 

So, the fact that the hesitance had ceased now, that was a big deal for Kara. It meant that Lena trusted her with her affection. And she was right to.

 

The trip into town was a quick one. Smallville didn’t exactly have it’s own version of Rodeo Drive so Kara’s clothing options were somewhat limited to ensembles that pretty much made her look like a farmhand. She’d settled on a green and white checkered button-down, with matching bandana around her neck. It was finished off with jeans and, since they were in the country, a pair of cowgirl boots that made the Kryptonian smile.

 

“What do you think?” she asked as she walked out of the dressing room, adjusting the shirt and then securing her thumbs in the loops of her jeans. “Do I look like I could herd some cattle?”

 

Her beaming smile dropped a bit when it wasn’t returned. Lena, in her expensive cashmere sweater and skinny jeans, always looked like she was ready for the runway. Perhaps she was concerned that Kara’s attire wasn’t up to snuff. She stood there, arms crossed, hip hitched and eyes roaming over Kara from head to toe with a serious expression framing her face.

 

“The boots are probably a bit much, huh?” she asked, turning back toward the dressing room. “I have some other options in there. I’ll go change.”

 

“No, I think it’s perfect,” Lena said, following behind. “I’ll just help you remove the tags so we can pay for your purchases.”

 

“Oh, you don’t have to do that. I think I can reach them all,” Kara said, entering the stall and assuming Lena would fall back.

 

She assumed wrong.

 

She figured that out once her back was pressed against the mirror in the fitting room and the full length of the Luthor’s frame was pressed tightly against her front. Lena’s mouth capturing her own as her hands roamed over her body anywhere but where the clothing tags were located.

 

Yeah, they’d obviously left all that hesitance in the dust at that point.

 

“I um,” Kara said breathlessly, holding on to Lena’s shoulders as the CEO’s lips dragged down her neck. “I didn’t know you were quite so fond of farm hands.”

 

“I didn’t either,” Lena said, pressing her knee hard against Kara’s center as she ran her hand up the denim that so perfectly cupped her muscular backside. “But as soon as you walked out of this dressing room all I could think about were those farm hands on me.”

 

She nipped at the soft skin of Kara’s collarbone and then stopped.

 

“I’m sorry,” she said, catching her breath and smiling as she rested her forehead against Kara’s. “I… I have wanted you for a very long time, Kara and now… Now it would seem I’m throwing caution to the wind and acting on every single urge I have for you. In a fitting room in Kansas, no less.”

 

She started to pull away but Kara increased her grip, keeping Lena in place.

 

“Please don’t ever apologize for wanting me, Lena,” she said softly, leaning in to capture Lena’s lips once more and then backing off. “Because, trust me, the feeling is mutual. But, we should probably wait until we’re at least a little more out of earshot from people in such a Red State because, well…”

 

“We’re loud,” Lena said, finishing Kara’s thought and leaning in to kiss her once more before slowly backing away. “Alright, farm hand, let me actually help you get these tags off then.”

 

She did just that and then exited the stall, leaving Kara to finish gathering her things and straighten herself out. As she ran a thumb over her lips to remove the smear of Lena’s lipstick, Kara couldn’t help smiling at the circumstances of it all.

  
  


* * *

 

 

After stopping by the grocery for food they made their way back to the cabin and stored their purchases. There were a few hiking trails that ended in scenic vistas and Lena thought Kara might like just being out in nature a bit. Between work, friends and saving the city, surely she didn’t have much time for a simple walk in the woods.

 

Though, to be fair, they didn’t pay much attention to the woods.

 

The conversation between them never reached the lull it so often did when she’d spent more than a day in someone’s presence. They had one of those talks that lasted for hours. One of those talks that, had it been nighttime, would have gone well into the wee hours of the morning. Kara told Lena about how it took some time for Alex to warm to her when they were kids. How it was a town criminal who truly brought them together and solidified the most powerful bond in Kara’s life.

 

Lena told Kara about Lex. About how they used to go off and play together, with dreams and aspirations of saving the world; becoming heroes. How it was difficult for her to reconcile, in her mind, the person he was with the person he became.

 

And Kara listened. Really listened. She listened in that way that she didn’t have to say a word for Lena to know that she was not only trying to understand her pain but also willing it to become her own in an attempt to shoulder some of its burden.

 

_ Don’t your shoulders carry far too much already?  _ Lena thought before taking the strong arm in her own and feeling it, really feeling it with her hand for the first time.

 

The bulging bicep beneath her fingers could crush her skull if Kara so chose to use it for that purpose. For all intents and purposes, Lena was holding onto a God who could rule them all with nothing more than a decree that she wished to. Yet Kara chose to serve and protect. She was safer next to Kara than she was any single human on the face of the earth. And, she had to admit, it added an entirely new layer of attraction to what was already a pull so magnetic she had to fight to withstand the pull.

 

“Look, we made it!” Kara beamed as she dragged them both to the summit of the cliff overlooking the rest of the forest. “Wow, it’s really beautiful up here.”

 

“It’s not bad,” Lena said, knowing full well the views Kara was able to access could easily put this one to shame. “But, I’ll admit, sharing it with someone never felt quite this good.”

 

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Kara replied. “This… there’s a giddiness about literally everything we do right now. It makes the sun shine brighter and the leaves on the trees… oranger.”

 

Lena laughed at the made-up word and looked out at the ‘oranger’ trees.

 

“Well, that’s mostly science, you know?” she said, looking back at Kara with a knowing smile. “So, there’s obviously a great deal of testosterone and estrogen released during the lust phase of any relationship, which is driving… well, what happened back at the clothing store. And then we have an enhanced release of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. The first of which can be derived from cocaine usage and the last so powerful it can even drive someone insane.”

 

“So, basically I’m high and I’m crazy about you?” Kara said, chuckling and wrinkling her forehead.

 

“Yes, quite literally, actually,” Lena acknowledged with a nod. “If I could find a way to bottle and distribute a safe concoction of this feeling, I’d be an even richer woman than I already am. Though, the marriage rate would likely take a deep dive but, bright side, so would the divorce rate.”

 

“Yeah, let’s not do that. People are already hell-bent on proving that every Luthor out there is trying to destroy the world,” Kara said, reaching out and running her hand down Lena’s side, to her hip, before pulling her closer. “We definitely don’t want to get them up in arms about the idea that you want to destroy the sanctity of marriage.”

 

“Oh, I’m sure they’ll start thinking that as soon as I arrive back in town with you on my arm, confirming all those ReporterCorp rumors,” Lena replied with a smirk as she reached up and ran her thumb over a prominent cheekbone. “The SuperCorp shippers will likely be out for blood as well. They can be quite intense you know.”

 

“I think I can handle ‘em,” Kara said with a nod of her head as her eyes wandered from Lena’s own, down to her lips.

 

“You do, huh?” Lena asked rhetorically as she brought their faces closer together, waiting for Kara to close the distance.

 

“Yeah, but right now I’m a little more concerned with getting my next hit,” she said before closing the distance and wrapping both strong arms around Lena’s waist as she kissed her.

 

Lena moaned into the kiss and clutched at long blonde hair as she allowed herself to get lost in the feelings as well. They both pulled back, breathless, against the backdrop of the sun descending over a clear Kansas sky in fall.

 

“Do you really think this all comes down to chemicals?” Kara asked, reaching her gaze one more. “I mean, you’re a scientist. It would make sense if you did.”

 

Lena pulled her hands around Kara’s neck and back to cup her face as she drowned in her eyes and tried to answer the question.

 

“Chemicals explain why we  _ can’t _ keep our hands off each other,” she said. “Why we want to spend every moment of this day together. They don’t explain the unending faith you show me every, single day. Even when things look bad and dark. They don’t explain me watching you walk away to be with Mon-El, even when my heart broke every time because I thought you were in love with him. They don’t explain the expanse of over a year spent in each other’s presence, feeling the same thing but never acting on it because the friendship we built was so important that neither of us dared jeopardize it by admitting the truth we were both hiding.”

 

Moving in closer, Lena allowed her cheek to caress Kara’s as she kissed her ear and then whispered into it.

 

“Chemicals explain why I’ve been wet for you all day,” she husked against the soft shell of the ear before tempering her lust and her voice. “They don’t explain why I would still be happy to do nothing more than hold you on the couch and watch television with you if that’s what you wished to do right now.”

 

“Trust me,” Kara said, her voice shuddering as she spoke and held tighter to Lena. “I have never had so little interest in television in my life.”

 

A deep chuckle reverberated in Lena’s throat as she kissed her way back to Kara’s lips and then pulled away, allowing her to look out at the view one last time. 

 

“Well, then take in this moment before we move on to ‘not watching tv’,” she said, doing the same herself. “I’ve never felt this way before and I plan on being as present as I possibly can for every second of it.”

 

She felt Kara’s eyes on her as she scanned the landscape and allowed it all to wash over her in the most beautiful wave of wonder.

 

 

* * *

 

 

They settled into the evening with dinner and wine. Wine that Kara could actually feel thanks to the Kryptonite upstairs. She and Lena made a pasta dish together, Kara eating far more than her fair share and Lena, laughing as always at her voracious appetite. They ended up on the couch in front of the fireplace, the bottle of wine within arms reach on the coffee table and their bodies at opposing ends of the cozy furniture, legs entangled as the talked.

 

“You’re feeling the wine more tonight than usual,” Lena said as Kara’s laughter from their previous conversation trailed off.

 

“Yeah, I must be more relaxed than usual,” she said, feeling pleasantly warm and toasty thanks to both the wine, the fire and the company.

 

“Well, we can’t very well have that,” Lena said teasingly. “I am your boss, after all. Need to keep you on your toes. Care to start up a few rounds of that game we played during the last girls' night at your place?”

 

“The drinking game?” Kara asked before shrugging her shoulders. “Sure, be my guest, I wasn’t the one that ended up having to grab another bottle to play.”

 

“Yes, but I bet I can figure out a few things that might get a sip out of you. Though, they might be a little more risque now that we’re in private,” she warned with a grin and a side eye. “Are you still game?”

 

“Still game?” Kara asked, picking up the wine and topping them both off before setting it back down. “I’m even more game. Bring it, Miss Luthor.”

 

“Hmm,” Lena hummed and smiled wider as she looked directly at Kara and paused for dramatic effect before making her statement. “Never have I ever  _ thought _ about the person I’m looking at in the privacy of my bedroom.”

 

Kara swallowed thickly as the inflection of the word ‘thought’ absolutely gave way to its meaning. Lena was implying that she’d thought about Kara while touching herself. And she confirmed that implication by taking a sip of her wine, eyes locked with Kara’s the entire time.

 

It was only fair that Kara tell the truth as well. So, she drank.

 

She didn’t need her Superpowers to know that Lena was breathing heavier than she was before and it was having an intense effect on her own body.

 

“Guess you were right,” Kara said, smiling softly as a blush crept up her cheeks. “You probably can figure out a few ways to make me drink. Let’s see if I can do the same.”

 

She knew the next question she wanted to ask. Knew that it might make her seem insecure when what she felt couldn’t have been any further from insecurity. And, had the wine not been working, she might not have asked it but…

 

“Never have I ever thought about Supergirl in the privacy of my bedroom,” she said, refraining from drinking, of course, but watching as Lena slowly brought the glass to her lips and swallowed the red liquid.

 

“Does that bother you?” she asked, brow furrowing a bit in what Kara could only assume was worry.

 

“No,” she answered, shaking her head. “Your honesty about it actually puts me at ease.”

 

“Good,” Lena said, running her fingers over the rim of her glass. “I think we can probably trust each other to ask the questions we want without playing the game. I’d hate for you to get so drunk that I’d be afraid I was taking advantage.”

 

“Oh, I’m pretty sure that’s not a possibility at this point,” Kara said with a small smirk but then nodded her head in agreement. “But, yeah, we don’t really need the game from here on out. You can ask me anything you want, Lena. I’ll tell you the truth.”

 

“Anything?” Lena asked, tilting her head as she spoke.

 

“Anything,” Kara nodded, fully confident that she wouldn’t shy away from any of the racy questions Lena might have in store for her.

 

“Alright,” Lena said, putting her glass down on the coffee table and sitting more upright on the couch as she looked deep into Kara’s eyes. The expression on her face was partially unreadable but definitely far more serious than it had been just a few seconds ago. “Where do you keep your boots?”

 

“What?” Kara asked, snorting at the statement as she pointed toward the pair of cowboy boots on the floor. “Currently in the living room of this cabin but I would imagine they’re going to find a permanent home in my closet when we get back. Not a lot of opportunity to where cowboy boots in National City.”

 

“I’m not talking about the new ones, Kara,” Lena said, expression still serious. “I’m talking about the red ones. The ones that go with the blue suit I found peeking out of your purse. Where do you keep your boots when you need to change into them and become Supergirl?”

 

The last of her air left her lungs in a shaky breath as Kara realized exactly what Lena was asking her. Her heart pounded as fear started to creep up her spine. Did she see the suit before or after they’d made love? Did she see it after she’d told Kara that terrible story about the day after her first time? Did she see it before she’d decided to ask her to stay there, in the cabin, alone with her?

 

“Oh God,” Kara said, her words coming out in a frightened whisper. 

 

“Don’t you mean ‘Oh Rao’?” Lena corrected.

 

“Lena, I know what you must be thinking,” Kara started, she too placed her wine glass on the table and sat up straight. Her hands went out in front of her as if they might halt all the thoughts of betrayal Lena was surely having. “But I can explain.”

 

“On the contrary, Supergirl, I highly doubt you could possibly know what I’m thinking right now,” Lena said, moving even closer and pushing Kara back against the couch. “Well, that was easy, wasn’t it? Between the effect of the wine and your obvious lack of Super strength, I’d wager you squirreled away some of that Yellow Kryptonite, didn’t you?”

 

“I…”

 

The look in Lena’s eyes, it was familiar. Kara tried to both think about where she’d seen it and find the answer to Lena’s question. What had Lena’s question been?

 

“How good an idea do you think it was to leave yourself vulnerable in a Luthor’s den?”  she asked, reaching her hand out to rest her fingers on the side of Kara’s neck as her thumb traced a line from the dimple in her chin down to the hollow of her throat.

 

That’s when Kara realized where she’d seen that look before. Back when she’d confronted Lena about Lillian and CADMUS. Back when she’d turned the key to the missile that was supposed to hold a virus that would kill them all. She thought about Lena’s question and her own answer. Because, at the heart of it, what she was actually asking is whether or not Kara trusted her.

 

“Yes,” she answered, stalwart in her faith. “I trust you with my life, Lena. With every part of me including the one that… that I lied to you about for so long.”

 

Pain overtook her face as she thought about how hurt Lena must have been when she found out on her own. 

 

“I wanted to tell you but Alex-”

 

“I’m not currently interested in the details of your deception. I’m sure I’ll work those out of you at some point,” Lena said, cutting her off and pulling back to stand to her full height, taking her wine glass with her as she moved closer to the stairs. 

 

“Right now, I’m going to be merciful and give you two courses of action from which to choose,” she said before pointing to the front door. “You can walk through that door and fly back to National City, letting Alex, and whomever else you take orders from, know that you just left a Luthor alone with her own supply of Yellow Kryptonite or…”

 

She then pointed to the bedroom.

 

“You can join me upstairs and see if you have what it takes to earn it back,” Lena spared only a second more of a glance before turning and walking up the stairs and stopping at the top to address Kara once more. “Choose wisely, Supergirl.”

 

Leaving Kara with a very big decision to make.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	8. Conquered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, gays. So, it seems you all were a little 'shook' over the way the last chapter ended. I hope that you take in a breath of fresh air when you read this one. I've had this deck stacked to support this particular chapter for a while now.
> 
> Also, regarding the boots, I addressed this in previous chapter notes but here it goes again; I have no clue what she does with her boots. The show doesn't have to come up with an answer there for us to enjoy it so hopefully, you won't lose any sleep when you don't find that answer in free fanfiction either. 
> 
> As always. It's nice to feed the bard so, if you liked this chapter, please let me know.

 

Once in the bedroom, Lena scrambled to change out of her clothes and into one of the silk robes in the bathroom. She also lit every single candle in the room, wanting to ensure the scene was as warm and romantic as possible. She’d been thinking about this intermittently throughout the day… She just didn’t know it would be happening that night. But Kara left herself wide open with that statement about answering anything and, well, Lena went for it.

 

And, Dear God, did she hope she was right about Kara’s feelings for her and the decision she’d make. Surely she’d choose to come upstairs, right? She’d just said that she trusted Lena with her life. Hopefully she wasn’t being hyperbolic, otherwise, the CEO was in for a long night of tears paired with Maggie's tequila bottle.

 

Thankfully, the sound of slow, purposeful steps ascending the stairs started to reach her ears.

 

“Thank god,” she whispered, checking herself in the mirror as she thought about the conversation that had led her down this path in the first place.

 

The one they’d had at Alex and Maggie’s bridal food tasting.

  


_“Oh, from what I’ve read, ReporterCorp is far more romantic than that,” Kara corrected, the alcohol obviously loosening her tongue. “It’s SuperCorp that gets more into the conquering stuff.”_   
  
_Lena’s head quickly spun to her right, toward Kara, as her brows reached for her scalp. Kara Danvers; sweet, innocent, says 'darn' instead of 'damn', Kara Danvers was reading Dom/Sub fanfiction?_   
  
_“Kara Danvers, are you telling me you’ve actually been reading some of the smut being posted about not only us but Supergirl and myself?” she asked, positively scandalized._   
  
_“What? No!” Kara 100% lied, waving her hands in front of her as if the action would wipe Lena’s memory._   
  
_It did not._   
  
_“Then how do you know that SuperCorp is more about conquest?” Lena asked. “Also, who’s conquering whom?”_   
  
_“Little bit of both,” Kara slammed her hand over her mouth as soon as the words spilled out of their own accord._   
  
_“You have read it,” Lena accused, eyes wide as she drew closer, cornering Kara near a column and placing her hand upon it to prevent her escape. “You just became infinitely more interesting, Kara. And I’m saying this as someone who just bought a company so that she might work beside you. Now, tell me, which do you prefer?”_   
  
_“Um…” Kara swallowed thickly and tried to avoid Lena’s gaze. “What do you mean? Do I prefer SuperCorp over ReporterCorp or do I prefer you conquering Supergirl?”_   
  
_A devilish and predatory smile grew on Lena’s lips as she took in the information and watched Kara squirm._   
_  
_ “I’m fairly certain you answered that last part by omission,” she said, making no move to retreat.

  


She’d spent several spare moments over the last few weeks thinking about that statement and wondering how a scene like that might play out. Both with herself and Supergirl and, before she knew she and Kara were one and the same, with Kara in a roleplay situation _as_ Supergirl. How very convenient that they’d turned out to be the same person.

 

And, after she’d seen the suit and figured out Kara’s secret, she knew that there would only be one chance to actually play this particular scenario through where Kara felt as if Lena might actually want to conquer her: she’d have to pretend to be angry about the deception.

 

It was hard. _God_ , it was hard. Especially when Kara had looked so worried and had said such amazing things to her. But she hoped it would all be worth it to give her this fantasy that she’d obviously sought out; at least in written form.

 

Now, the problem would be figuring out exactly what to do. Lena had certainly never ‘conquered’ anyone in the bedroom before and, unlike Kara, she hadn’t had time to read up on how one went about conquering another. She just hoped she was as good thinking on her feet in the bedroom as she was in her lab back in National City.

 

A soft knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts and she took a deep breath to center herself. She had to get back into character.

 

“Come in,” she said, arms crossed, face unreadable.

 

The door opened and, with timid steps, Kara walked inside the room. There was a look of confusion on her face as she noticed all the candles and Lena’s wardrobe change.

 

“Wow,” she said, allowing one corner of her lips to dare attempt a smile. “You, um, you seem to move pretty quickly. Are you sure that you’re not holding out on any superpowers from _me_?”

 

_God, she’s adorable. Here I am trying to figure out how to conquer her and she’s nearly broken me with a corny joke and a half smile. Don’t drop the facade, Lena. Keep your composure!_

 

“Quite,” Lena stated simply and directly before pointing toward Kara’s large purse. “Take that into the bathroom and change. I want to see you in everything but the tights and boots.”

 

“Right, I can do that,” Kara said swallowing thickly as she walked over to the bag and picked it up. She then started for the bathroom but spoke once she’d drawn closer to the CEO. “But, um, Lena. Don’t you think we should maybe-”

 

“And when you come back out I want none of this cute, meek, timid humanity that captivated my heart in the first place,” Lena said, her tone and her face betraying the words she couldn’t help saying. “I want Supergirl. I want the Kryptonian. I want the emboldened righter of wrongs that you managed to embody in front of me even under dire circumstances. Is that clear?”

 

Kara stood at her for a few seconds longer than she had anticipated but, finally, after drawing her eyes away, she answered ‘Yes’ and started back on her path to the bathroom before entering and shutting the door.

 

“So far, so good,” Lena breathed out before locating her wine and taking a long, much-needed sip while she waited.

 

* * *

 

Kara’s jaw dropped right to the floor once safely inside the walls of the bathroom. She had no idea what Lena could possibly have planned for the rest of their evening but surely one didn’t light candles and look gorgeous to torment someone they were supposed to be in love with… right?

 

With a quick shake of her head, she tried to process all of the thoughts going through it while she had a few moments to herself.

 

“Relax, Lena would never actually hurt you,” she whispered as she unbuttoned her shirt and pulled it off before starting to work on her jeans. “She’s just… well, I don’t really know what she’s doing.”

 

But part of her was definitely on board for it.

 

As she pulled the blue top out of her bag and over her head, she couldn’t help thinking about how a good portion of the butterflies in her stomach were not coming from a sense of anxiety. That demanding tone in Lena’s voice, paired with the ice cold gaze of her eyes… they were doing a number on her libido.

 

After attaching the cape and stepping into the skirt, Kara took a look at herself in the mirror. She pulled the glasses off of her face and her hair out of the ponytail securing it before leaning against the counter and taking a deep breath.

 

“Be Kryptonian,” she said to her reflection. “Be Supergirl.”

 

Then, once the mask was firmly in place, she walked back out of the room and stood before Lena, hands on hips.

 

“You wanted to see me, Miss Luthor?” she asked just as she would have if Lena had been none the wiser about her identity; strong, confident and devoid of a single ounce of fear.

  


* * *

 

It was just a suit.

 

Some cotton, some polyester, probably a little fire retardant Kevlar mixed in so she didn’t have to keep replacing it every time she breached the atmosphere or took a magazine full of bullets. It was clothing, for God’s sake, it should not have changed a damn thing about the mood or the dynamic of the room. If anything, it should have emboldened Lena to be even more brazenly sexual and predatory in her act. She’d certainly felt that way looking at Supergirl out in the wilds of National City; soaking wet and lifting submarines, landing on the L-Corp balcony to take out trash like Morgan Edge.

 

And, though it was impossible for her not to also feel that delicious ache in her core, lust was far from the only thing Lena felt in that moment looking at Supergirl, looking back at her. What she felt was an overwhelming urge to break past those walls of solid Kryptonian muscle and touch the hero’s heart. To cradle it and nurture it and, most importantly, protect it from a world so hell-bent on destroying it.

 

“It really is you,” Lena said, as if truly feeling the weight of it all for the first time now that the truth was right in front of her.

 

“I wanted to tell you.”

 

She said it in the way Supergirl would. Not rushed and terrified and anxious like Kara had but slow and measured; honest.

 

“You shouldn’t have,” Lena said assertively, protectively. “You shouldn’t be telling anyone. You shouldn’t be in this room with me right now. Not without your powers.”

 

“Why? Because you might do something to hurt me?” Supergirl asked, dropping her hands from her hips and stepping closer. It was the first time Lena had ever actually noticed the thumb holes on the suit. “That’s not going to happen.”

 

“You don’t know that now and you didn’t know that when you stepped into this room,” Lena said, closing her eyes and trying to regain some sense of the upper hand before looking back into a sea of blue. “You can’t take risks like this. Not when I could lose you.”

 

Then she reached out and touched Supergirl as if for the first time. As if it were all brand new. As if she’d just arrived from National City to see if Lena might want to pray with her. Her entire facade was crumbling from the inside out. It might have just been clothing that covered Kara Danvers' body at that moment, but it was Supergirl standing before her. And Lena had known them as two different people for so long that her body and mind nearly demanded her to deal with that dichotomy, in that moment, as genuinely as she would have had she never learned the truth of it.

 

Because there was an entirely different truth revealing itself to her.

 

“Not when I’m just starting to fall in love with you.”

 

* * *

 

 

The suit had changed everything. There had been a noticeable shift in the room just as soon as Kara had stepped into it as Supergirl. And Lena’s last statement had just confirmed what that shift had been.

 

Lena had started falling in love with _Kara_ a long time ago. She’d said so herself. But, with _Supergirl_ , she’d only just begun.

 

The two had been so separate to her for so long that it was likely she was shaken a bit from the visual of this other person she’d grown so fond of as well.

 

“Lena, I am not afraid of you,” she said, insistently. “You are not going to hurt me.”

 

“No, I’m not,” Lena admitted, face suddenly turning from serious to staggered; a small huff of a laugh leaving her lips as she made her next statement. “I asked you up here so that I could try to make one of your fantasies come true. So I could try to ‘conquer’ you, which is obviously a laughable intention now, but you didn’t know that and still, you came. You take risks like that all the time. You’ve taken them for _me_. You can’t just trust that everyone you meet has the right intentions.”

 

_She wanted to try to conquer me to make one of my fantasies come true? That’s so sweet… and sexy… and **so** something we’re going to try out again later! But not right now. Right now I’ve got to focus. _

 

“Lena, I don’t trust just anyone,” She clarified after the shock of Lena’s statement about her intentions wore off. “I trust you.”

 

“And time after time, people have told you how dangerous that is,” Lena insisted.

 

“And they’re wrong,” Kara countered seriously, taking another step closer which, in turn, caused Lena to take a step back.  “And I know that because of how terrified you suddenly seem over the idea of something happening to me.”

 

Lena swallowed thickly and tears misted over her eyes before she spoke.

 

“I didn’t plan on any of this,” she admitted with a sad grin. “I planned on falling in deep, unrequited love with my best friend and dying alone. Then I planned on doing my absolute best to make the most kind, brave and undeniably adorable reporter in National City as happy as was in my power. I planned on admiring you and being there for you as much as you might let me. But I did not plan on loving one of the most powerful beings in the world and still being terrified that I one day might lose her and, subsequently, watch every single one of my previous plans fall apart at the seams.”

 

Kara felt as if her heart might explode in her chest from the love she felt for Lena at that moment.

 

“That’s not going happen either,” she replied with a shake of her head. “I have fought too hard and waited too long to finally find the happiness that you make me feel, Lena. I’m not going to jeopardize that by making bad decisions. You talked about… ‘conquering me’ to make one of my fantasies come true…”

 

She paused so they both could smile and softly laugh about that before raising her hands and cupping Lena’s cheeks, thumbs wiping at the twin trails of tears that released through the laughter. Then, once it subsided, she spoke again.

 

“You conquered my heart a long time ago, Lena,” Kara said softly. “It’s why I was so angry with you when you put yourself in danger going after Edge. Because I knew that there was another person on this planet that I was beholden to more than the greater good. It’s also how I know that I am safer in this room with you than I am with nearly every other living soul on this planet. Because you are fiercely protective of that which is yours. And I am, Lena. If you want me… Like this.”

 

Green eyes looked back at her with unabashed love and admiration as the CEO reached out to grip at her waist and bring their bodies closer together.

 

“You were always so professional before,” she said as her eyes dipped down to look at the symbol of the House of El on her chest, her right hand dragging up the strong torso to run over the outline. “Even on the day you told me you believed in me, there was a distance you placed between us. I felt so stupid that day. I’d been so eager to befriend you, to prove to both you and the world that we would not end up like Superman and Lex. But you were all business and, I guess in the end, so was I. I certainly didn’t have a soft and sweet heart to heart with you after sending you after that missile and all.”

 

“Lena, you don’t have-”

 

“Shh,” Lena said, pulling the hand away from Supergirl’s chest and reaching up to press a finger against her lips. “I’m not finished.”

 

The Kryptonian nodded in acquiescence and Lena moved from her lips to cup her face as she continued.

 

“When I found you on the CatCo balcony, though… and you told me about your faith. That…” Lena shook her head as she tried to find a way to verbalize what she felt. “I never thought you’d trust me with something like that. With a part of you that most people don’t get to see. And when I saw how alone you were in this world all I wanted to do was be there for you. To show you that things didn’t have to be that way. Kara seemed to have so many friends and you, you seemed so much like me. Isolated and solitary. Now, I’m not crazy, I know you’re the same person and that it seems impossible for those two mindsets to exist at the same time but-”

 

“But they do,” Kara said, interrupting her once more before halting her words and looking down in deference. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you. I just wanted you to know that you’re right. You have no idea how lonely this can feel sometimes. Kara Danvers _is_ lucky enough to have a wonderful group of friends but I do not always get to be Kara Danvers. And, when I’m with you, like this, I am not alone as Supergirl. When I think about it… I sometimes wonder if that’s another reason why I didn’t tell you. Because I saw you try, Lena. I saw you smile and talk about a Luthor and a Super working together. I saw you joke about your balcony not being an entrance. Feeling you wanting to be close to me like that was incredible. And, when I finally decided to allow it, it was even better. I’m figuring this out right alongside you and even that makes me feel less alone. But, I do have one question.”

 

Lena smiled softly as she caressed the cheek beneath her thumb.

 

“Go for it, Supergirl,” she said.

 

“Did you know before we were together last night? Did you know who you were truly with?”

 

Kara’s face fell as she asked the question. Because, though Lena had expressly told her that her secret didn’t matter, she still felt a lump grow in the pit of her stomach each time she thought about continuing with the deception when they’d become so intimate. Luckily, Lena soothed her fears with her answer.

 

“Yes,” she said softly, keeping the smile on her face. “I saw your suit in your bag when I went to give you the candle in the shower last night. I knew then that I had to ask myself whether or not it mattered in the grand scheme of things. Whether or not I wanted to be with all of you. And, though last night I felt as if I were 100% with Kara Danvers, I knew and accepted the truth. That being with her meant being with you as well.”

 

“Do you want to be with me now? Like this?” Kara asked, her heart beating faster as a warmth started to spread through her body at the idea of making love to Lena as Supergirl.

 

They could figure out how to meld the two together some other time but, after hearing Lena talk about her feelings for this part of Kara that was kept at a distance from so many, she couldn’t help wanting to experience what that kind of love might feel like.

 

“Trust me when I say that _wanting_ you like this has never been a problem, Supergirl,” Lena answered, eyes darkening with desire.

 

“Then, may I kiss you, Miss Luthor?” Kara asked, matching the formality as her eyes drifted from Lena’s eyes to her lips.

  


* * *

 

 

Lena didn’t answer with words, she answered with action. Leaning in slowly, she brought their lips together in the way she would have had they been in National City. In the more firm, more direct way she would have kissed Supergirl if Kara Danvers had never been a part of the equation. She kissed her not with the gentle reverence she had during their first kiss the night before, but with an urgency and vulnerability she didn’t know she had within her.

 

Kara was the one who was gentle with her; the one with whom Lena wished to be gentle. But Supergirl had more at stake. So often when they dealt with each other, lives were on the line and there was no time for hand-holding with the kid gloves so often employed in their ‘human’ dynamic. With Supergirl there was this constant feeling of ‘I may scare you with the flight but I will always catch you when you fall’. And that sentiment worked both ways.

 

As was it present in the kiss.

 

Supergirl pressed her against the wall nearest the door and Lena raked her nails against the Kryptonian’s scalp. Lena breached the soft lips and explored her mouth while Supergirl’s strong hands loosened the belt around her waist and pulled open the robe that once covered her nude form.

 

They were wrapped up in each other in the most delicious way as Supergirl’s lips blazed a trail of nips and kisses down her throat, her confidence and desire arousing Lena in a way she had never experienced. Then, she even took things a step further.

 

“I want to taste you,” the Kryptonian said, blue eyes boring into green as she ran her thumb over Lena’s bottom lip possessively. “And I’d say a good first step to conquering the Girl of Steel would be getting her on her knees.”

 

Lena couldn’t speak.

 

She could barely manage a shuddering breath as she watched the blonde head carve a path down her body using her lips mark her way. Supergirl might have been the one getting on her knees but it was Lena being conquered with every kiss.

 

And she relished every second of it.

 

Lena Luthor had never been ashamed of reveling in her own pleasure. Her cheeks burned rosy red from lust. Her chest arched into the hand that manipulated her nipple. And, as Supergirl lifted one of her thighs upon a shoulder used to carrying the weight of the world, Lena reached a hand down into silky blonde hair and urged her forward to feast.

 

“Fuck.”

 

She cursed in a way that she never had in front of Kara once those dedicated lips started exploring her folds. She moaned as she writhed against the diligent efforts of the swiftly moving tongue, lapping at her arousal. She bit her lip and eye-fucked the hero as Supergirl stood to her full height and slipped inside her, holding onto the leg that had just dangled against her back.

 

God, the way she looked at her. The way her lips trembled as her jaw clenched. The way those oceanic eyes bored into her own with a promise that she would move heaven and earth to keep Lena safe. The same way they had so many times before when Supergirl had saved her.

 

Lena came with God’s name on her lips. She didn’t know Supergirl’s real name. And Supergirl was as close to a God as anyone Lena might meet.

 

Strong arms carried her to the bed with a little less ease than they did when carrying her above the city. They held her as she caught her breath and stilled her mind.

 

“What is your real name?” she asked softly as she finally leaned up to look down at the beautiful face below her.

 

“Kara Zor-El,” she answered.

 

Lena smiled softly at that as she traced her fingers over the small dimple shared by two faces that were slowly becoming one.

 

“Well, at least you made that part easy to remember,” the CEO said before leaning in to capture Kara Zor-El’s lips.

 

She stayed there until they were screaming her name in ecstasy. Until their shuddering ceased and every muscle around them relaxed into the comforting movements of a woman who would make it her own personal mission to soothe every body, and heart, ache she might have for as long as she might allow it.

 

They ended that night much like they’d started the day; tangled up in each other’s embrace and basking in the wonderment that was the product of two souls merging.

 

“You had me scared half to death earlier,” Kara said, the Danvers part of her starting reappear in her smile. “I was afraid that you were never going to forgive me for keeping all this a secret.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Lena said, smiling back and tracing her fingers over a strong collarbone. “Scaring you wasn’t the point. I wanted you on edge but, in retrospect, I guess I got extremely lucky you didn’t just run out right away. And then, once I saw you in that suit I… Well, I couldn’t focus on the fantasy anymore. I guess I kind of screwed that fantasy up, huh?”

 

“Oh, don’t you dare think you’re getting out of that one so easily, _Miss Luthor_ ,” Kara said, running her teeth over her bottom lip before leaning in to kiss her. “As far as I’m concerned, we have plenty of time to explore _both_ of our fantasies. I’m just really glad that this,” she said, gesturing down to her suit, “didn’t change anything for you.”

 

“Actually, to the contrary, it changed everything,” Lena corrected. “It gave me all of you. That is more than I could have known to ask for and all I ever wanted, Kara. It somehow made me love you more. And I have a feeling this only the beginning of that feeling.”

 

“Yeah, I have the same feeling myself,” Kara said, looking at her, once more, as if she’d hung the moon and stars.

 

She was quiet for a few moments after, simply stroking Lena’s hair and studying her face as if for the first time. Then, when she finally spoke, she revealed what she’d been thinking through all that silence.

 

“I think something was conquered tonight, but it wasn’t you or me.”

 

“What was it, then?” Lena asked, curious as to what was going on in Kara’s beautiful mind.

 

“Our legacies,” she said plainly before kissing Lena’s forehead and resting it just beneath her chin as she pulled her cape around their bodies.

 

Lena simply pulled her in closer. There was nothing more to add to words so perfect.


End file.
